When the School Bell Chimes
by duaba
Summary: A High School AU where Devil Fruits and the fight to become the King of Pirates exists (just not in the way you think). Monkey D. Luffy is about to start his 1st Year. Adventure awaits! (Warning: Will feature my OC's from my other 2 stories and there will be (eventual) pairings. Read to find out which ones besides ZoroxOC and SanjixOC) Art is not my own.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Hi guys! This is something I've been thinking about...I wrote up a little prologue/premise. Take a read and let me know if this is something you guys would be interested in reading?

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 **Prologue**

 _Bong Bong Bong Bong! Bong Bong Bong Bong Bong!_

The school bell's chime was the pride of the city, if not the entire prefecture. It was not an ordinary school bell. It sang more than it rang. It was a representation of the quality, the class, and the prestige of the elite private school, Mariejois High.

The children of the wealthy and powerful were sent to this school and almost every graduate became a world leader in some way or another. Almost. The one blemish on this otherwise exemplary school was the three Lottery Classes.

Mariejois High was required by law to provide a scholarship class for each year. The Lottery Class consisted of the non-wealthy. They were selected by lottery and not by any entrance exams, as a way for the government to pretend that they were showing some sort of fairness to the ordinary citizens.

Of course, in each Lottery Class, the students did not show the same amount of effort and poise as the other students. In fact, it was widely perceived that the students in the Lottery Classes tainted the school's reputation. They constantly caused trouble both inside and outside of school, most of them would rather talk with their fists than their mouths, some of them were related to people with criminal records, and as a whole they lowered the average test scores of the school. Basically, they were taking away some of Mariejois High's glory and that is why the students of the Lottery Class were commonly referred to as Pirates while the other students, who came from influential families that paid the full tuition, were known as the Nobles.

There were a handful of students within the Lottery Class, who strived to work hard and better their status not just within the school but also in society. They volunteered to help keep the Pirates in line for the school and they formed a group called the Management of Academics and Reputation Indecency for Non-Elites, or the MARINEs for short.

The Lottery Class system was in place five years after Mariejois High was established, which was more than thirty years ago. During its first years of implementation, there was one student in the Lottery Class that became a student of legend. His name was Gol D. Roger and he managed to not only unite the three Lottery Classes but also become the President of the Student Council, winning over the entire student body and earning him the nickname as the "King of Pirates" by his second year.

However, due to unfortunate circumstances, Gol D. Roger was expelled before he could complete his third year. Ruining the briefly good impression that the Nobles had of the Pirates. Since then, the Pirates and the Nobles never came together again and his expulsion led to "the Great Pirate Era", where students of the Lottery Class attempted to follow in his footsteps. However, it had the opposite effect of uniting the school.

As time went on the legend of the "King of Pirates" became warped. The students forgot that Gol D. Roger was able to earn the respect from both student bodies and instead, they only focused on the fact that he was the leader of the Pirates. There developed an intense rivalry within the Lottery Classes, where the Pirates attempted to become the leader of the Lottery Classes by creating factions and fighting their way to the top. Due to the increase of violence within the pirate groups, it made the Nobles want to interact with them less and less.

Now a new school year has begun with a new batch of First Years. The glittering white doors under the impressive marble doorway has opened and Mariejois High awaits the new group of Pirates, Nobles, and MARINEs.

The school bell marks a new day. A new adventure. And maybe, even a new "King of Pirates".

Ikuzo!

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 **A/N:** Keep in mind, I fully intend on putting my two OC's in here (Mizu Nana from Steel Heart and Cogan Reia from Green Heart because I also want to create a universe where they exist together). Other character backstories will be made to fit in this AU but it won't be too different from their One Piece story.

So...what do you guys think? XD


	2. Orientation

**Ch 1 - Orientation**

The campus itself was intimidating. Exquisite and pristine, yes, but still intimidating.

Coby stood just outside the opened ornate, golden gate with his chin practically pointing right at the sky as he looked up at the glistening, iconic bell that hung right at the top of the school. His shockingly natural pink hair falling back and parting in the middle. _Here goes nothing,_ he thought with a gulp as students passed him by, not even bothering to give him an ounce of their attention.

The boys wore black gakurans with gold buttons with the school emblem engraved on each one of them while the girls wore matching black sailor fuku. Despite only these two differences in uniform, it was very clear who was a Noble and who was a Pirate. The Nobles had their uniforms in pristine condition with everything tucked and buttoned neatly. Not even a hair on their head was out of place. To make it even more obvious, they wore glittering accessories either in their hair, around their necks, or even on their fingers.

The Pirates on the other hand had ill-fitted uniforms, most likely donated from some alumni, with their top buttons loosened for the guys and the skirts cut scandalously short for the girls. Some of the Pirates also wore outrageous headgear. The students really took advantage of the fact that the school dress code did not state anything about accessories.

Coby sweated a little when he spotted the crowds of teens that lined up outside of the gate. They were all non students, who were here to sneak a peek at the high class Nobles and even the notorious Pirates. Most of them were girls but there were also some thugs from other schools, trying to eye their next opponent. After all, a lot of the Pirates that successfully graduated from this school would later on turn into leaders of actual gangs. None of the spectators, though, gave much thought or paid any attention to Coby, which was fine by him.

He shakily took a step forward and tightened his grip on the strap of his brown, leather backpack. It was old and dingy, a hand me down from his overbearing Aunt Alvida. His eyes happened to catch the high quality, smooth brown leather bag that a passing boy was carrying. It had a golden latch on it with _P.E._ engraved on it. Even the boy's school bag was impressive to Coby.

He gulped again and adjusted the thick round glasses on his face before willing himself to take another step. _I can do this…_ , he thought, _At least, I hope I can._

"Oy, get out of our way!"

Colby felt a foot press against the small of his back and then found himself flying forward through the gates. He landed face first onto the tree-lined, cobblestoned walkway that led to Mariejois High's front steps.

"Ow," Colby breathed as he shakily pushed himself up and turned to see who he had bothered so early on his first day.

He turned to see a lean boy with scraggly black hair and a cowboy hat on his head. Freckles peppered across his nose and his left eyebrow was raised as he eyed Coby on the floor while he held tightly to the cheek of another boy, who looked like his captor except he had no freckles, his black hair was shorter and smoother, and he had a straw hat hanging over his back.

"AHHH! That's Portgas D. Ace! Third Year Pirate!" one of the girls squealed from the sideline.

Coby's eyes widened, immediately recognizing the name. _I've heard about him! He works for the Whitebeard Group outside of school,_ he thought, _Oh dear. I better not get on his bad side!_

"Aceeeee!" the straw hat boy yelled as he tried to push the taller boy away, "Let me go! You didn't have to drag me here."

The boy with the cowboy hat smirked and looked at the straw hat boy. "If you're late for the first day of school, the old geezer will tear both of us a new one. You really want to deal with that, Luffy?," he asked and then released the boy's cheek. It practically snapped back into place and Luffy rubbed it while shooting a pout at Ace.

"Gramps is never here. He wouldn't know," Luffy whined and then his eyes caught the school building. A giant grin spread over his face, "Shishishishishi. So this is the place, huh?"

Coby scrambled to his feet and hurriedly tried to dust off his suit pants, hoping that his school uniform wasn't ruined before he even entered the building. His action caught Luffy's attention and Luffy walked over to him. "Oy, are you okay?" he asked with the grin still stuck on his face, "Sorry. My brother is overly violent at times."

Coby's eyes widened. _I didn't know Ace had a brother!_

 _Thwack!_

Ace's fist grinded into the top of Luffy's head yet the Straw Hat still kept the grin on his face. "You're one to talk, Luffy," Ace snapped before he swung his worn leather bag over his shoulder, "Alright. My work here is done. Good luck on your first day, Luffy! Are you crashing at my place tonight?"

"Nope. I'll be fine," Luffy said.

"Alright," Ace said as he gave a short salute with his two fingers, "I'll see you around then. Have fun but don't get into trouble!"

"Shishishishi. Bye, Ace!" Luffy laughed as his brother ran ahead and into the school building.

A confused look crossed Coby's face. "If you two are brothers, why don't you guys live together?"

"Shishishishi," Luffy grinned, "He's my sworn brother. We met when we used to live with Dadan together."

Before Coby could even ask who that was, he found Luffy's arm over his shoulder and being escorted up the steps whether he was ready or not.

They strolled through the doorway to find an expansive lobby with an enormous gilded chandelier hanging overhead. Straight in front of them, facing the door, was an elaborate marble staircase that diverged into two sides on the second level. On the right side of the stairs, there was a sign that says "Elite Class" and to the left side of the stairs, there was a sign up that read "Lottery Class". On the wall, between the two staircases, was an oil painting the size of a garage door of 19 painted dragons.

Coby blinked and felt himself very anxious to be this much out of his element. After all, he was used to living in a cupboard and helping out his Aunt Avida in her run down dive bar at home.

"I'm guessing you're a first year too? I'm in the Lottery Class. How about you?" Luffy asked, clearly not at all impressed or even paying attention to his surroundings.

"Huh? Oh! Yes!" Coby cried excitedly at the possibility that maybe he had made a friend already, "I'm in the Lottery Class First Year. My name is Coby and I'm hoping to be a MARINE!"

In his eagerness, he did not realize how loud he said that and his voice echoed through the spacious front hall. Students stopped and looked over at him before they started to giggle and snicker at his bold statement. Coby felt heat rush to his face.

"Shishishishi." Luffy took it all in stride and didn't even hesitate in his step as he led Coby up the stairwell to the left. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy and I'm going to be the King of Pirates!"

Coby's jaw dropped. Luffy had stated it even louder than Coby had and his declaration bounced not just through the front hall but around the stairwell to the upper levels as well. The silence that followed was both eerie and tense for everyone except the boy with the straw hat. Coby could hear his own footsteps as they approached the second floor.

"Luffy! You shouldn't say things like that!" Coby hissed, "You'll get into big trouble for saying that and a first year like you can't-"

 _Thwack!_

Without warning, Luffy punched Coby lightly on the head and the boy fell to his knees.

"Wh-wh-why did you hit me?" Coby whimpered, finally understanding why Ace said Luffy wasn't one to talk about sudden violence.

"Just because," Luffy stated matter of factly and then he placed his straw hat on his head, "It's not whether I can or cannot become the King of Pirates. I'm gonna do it because I want to. I've decided to become the King of Pirates so if I get into any type of trouble for it, I'm fine with it."

Coby's head shot up and he gaped at Luffy. He was in awe at this boy's resolve and determination. Suddenly, the boy in question put out a hand to Coby to help him stand back up. "Aren't you prepared for the same thing if you've decided to join the MARINEs?"

Coby blinked as Luffy's words sank in. "I want to join the MARINEs because I want to change people's perception of the Lottery Class," he said slowly but then he started to sound more and more sincere as he went on, "They think we're all just good for nothing and a menace to society. I want to bring out the good in the Lottery Class and represent them as an honorable student. Do you think I can do that, Luffy?!"

Luffy threw his head back and laughed while reaching out to pull Coby up on his feet. "If you decided on doing that, then just go ahead and do it," he said as he threw his arm back around Coby's shoulder and sauntered up the steps.

The faces that greeted them there were anything but friendly. Two sullen looking third years with their hair shaved into a short crew cut sat behind a table right in front of the stairs with three stacks of manilla folders in front of them. The envelopes were separated with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd scrawled on the front.

"Tch. First Year already trying to become the King of Pirates?" one of the boys scoffed as he disdainfully tossed two packets labelled 1st in both Luffy and Coby's direction, "Causing trouble before school even begins."

"Pirates are the worst," the other person agreed, "They should all just go away."

Then he turned to look at Luffy and Coby. "Alright, inside those packets are your schedule, map of the campus, and the rules and regulations. There are two schedules in there. One for those who wish to join the MARINEs and ones who don't. You can read through them but they'll go over the basics in the Orientation Assembly," he said in bored voice, "Head down to the Lottery Class auditorium. Orientation will start in 20 minutes."

"What?" Coby exclaimed and looked over at Luffy, "I didn't realize MARINEs were in a separate class as the other. I guess I won't be in the same class as you, Luffy."

The boys shared a look and one of them smirked at Coby. "Yep. So you wanna be one of us, huh?"

Coby nodded earnestly. "En! I want to show that the Lottery Class can be upright citizens and beneficial to society!"

One of the boys leaned a little bit closer over the desk. "Word of advice then, First Year," he said and pointed over at the boy in the Straw Hat, "If you wanna be a MARINE then you can't be friends with pirates."

"Eh?" Coby asked as he shot a look over at Luffy, who was looking off into the distance, "But...but we're all classmates. I don't unders-"

"Oy, Coby, where do you think the vending machines are? I want a snack," Luffy suddenly announced. He grabbed Coby by the arm and began to drag him down the hallway.

Coby didn't think he heard him right and he looked dubiously at Luffy. "The first class hasn't even begun yet," Coby said, "And you're already hungry? Did you not have breakfast?"

"I did," Luffy said as he put both hands behind his head and started to walk down the hallway, straight past a big cluster of people. He did not realize that they were all waiting for the doors of the auditorium to open, "But I still want a snack."

"Oy oy! Get to the back of the line! We were here first," students started to protest as Luffy made his way through the crowd.

Luffy frowned at them, "This line is moving really slowly. Are the vending machines broken?"

The students looked at Luffy with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Meh, I'll just go see for myself," Luffy said as he stepped forward. His foot caught onto something and he fell forward, "Whoah!"

He landed flat on his face and he hurriedly got up to his knees to see what had tripped him up. His eyes fell on a green haired guy, who was napping in a seated position with his legs extended straight out and his back to the wall. He had left the top four buttons open and wore no undershirt, exposing his well-muscled chest. He had three kendo sticks resting next to him, which was what had got in Luffy's way. The sleeping swordsman opened one eye to glare at whoever it was that dared to interrupt his slumber.

"Shishishishi," Luffy laughed, clearly not noticing the wide berth the other students were giving this guy, even though he was napping right in the middle of the crowd. "Sorry. I didn't see you there."

"Oy, First Year," the green haired boy growled, "I hope you're prepared to face the consequences for waking me up from my nap?"

"Yeesh! Roronoa Zoro is mad!" one of the students shrieked, "That First Year is about to get slaughtered."

Luffy, oblivious to the swordsman's hostility, stuck his hand straight out to him, "My name is Monkey D. Luffy. I'm going to become the King of PIrates."

In one swift motion, Zoro grabbed one of his kendo stick and swung it across his chest, knocking Luffy's hand away with a harsh smack. He then pointed it at Luffy's face. "I don't give a damn what your name is, First Year," Zoro growled, "I just want to know if you're prepared to face the best swordsman in this school."

"Wooo," Luffy said in awe of that title, "That must mean you're really strong then. Hey, how about you-"

"I'm so sorry, Roronoa Zoro-sempai!" Coby hurriedly rushed over and pushed Luffy's head down into a bowing position, "We didn't realize you were napping. Here. Please take this as a peace offering."

Coby dug into his backpack and pulled out a tin bento box. Zoro snatched it out of his hand and opened the lid to reveal three sloppily made onigiris. He raised an eyebrow and then closed the lid. He eyed the pair for a moment before scowling and getting to his feet. "Alright. I accept this," he grunted as he grabbed his three kendo sticks and walked further down the hallway. The crowd immediately cleared a path for him, "But there won't be a next time."

"Yes sir! Thank you, sir!" Coby yelled with relief and then he turned to Luffy, who had a contemplative look on his face, "Luffy! You have to be careful. Zoro-sempai is in the Lottery Class Second Year and head of the Kendo Club. He beats up Nobles and Pirates alike!"

His warning had an opposite effect on Luffy and his eyes sparkled. "I want him to join my pirate crew."

"EHHHH?!" Coby exclaimed.

Coby and Luffy entered the auditorium together. Although, calling it an auditorium was pretty generous. It was a regular classroom but instead of desks, it was just crammed with rows and rows of plastic folding chairs. At the front of the room was a podium that was so dingy, Coby felt like he got splinters just by looking at it.

Coby and Luffy grabbed some seats near the back of the room but soon found themselves being unceremoniously tossed out of them by Luffy's own brother. "Sorry," Ace grinned as he tilted up his cowboy hat at them, "This section is reserved for Third Years."

"Then where does the First Years sit?" Luffy huffed.

"They don't," Ace said and pointed behind him at the space left between the last row of chairs and the wall, which really wasn't much, "They stand."

"What?" Luffy exclaimed, "How long is this meeting?"

"2 hours," Ace replied.

"You want me to stand for 2 full hours?!" Luffy cried.

"Hey, I did it," Ace said, taking great pleasure in Luffy's discomfort, "So now it's your turn."

The Third Years sitting around them snickered as they watched Luffy and Coby skulk to the back of the room, cramming themselves among the First Years like sardines in a can. As they did so, three men walked in towards the podium. They all wore white blazers and white pants but underneath they wore different colored shirt. The man that stood on the left of the podium wore yellow and he had on yellow tinted sunglasses. The man at the podium wore red and he had a cigar balanced between his scowling lips. The third man, who stood on the right of the podium, wore a blue shirt and for some odd reason, a sleeping mask over his curly black hair.

"Welcome to a new year, Lottery Class. I am Sakazuki Sensei and-"

"Yeah. Akainu!" Ace catcalled from the back, "How was your summer? Did you catch some sun? Bet you had a hot date on the beach with a babe. Or was it just with Aokiji and Kizaru?"

The Third Year Pirates and even some of the Second Year Pirates bursted into laughter while the MARINEs did not take those words too kindly.

"Oy! Show some respect, Ace," a third year marine snapped, "It's Sakazuki Sensei, Borsalino-"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," a guy that sat next to Ace said. He had short blonde hair that stuck out in every which way and a sleepy look on his face. He rolled his eyes and he and Ace shared a mischievous grin.

The teacher did not like Ace's interruption and his face showed every sign of it. "Ace. Marco," he said lowly, "I'm surprised you've made it thus far, especially you, Ace, but I'll be even more surprised if you two even make it to the end of this term. For this disruption, I'm taking away your lunch privileges today. Now go outside and run a hundred laps."

 _No lunch?!,_ Luffy thought with widened eyes as he stared at the back of his brother's head.

 _100 laps?!_ , Coby thought in horror.

"Eh? Don't I have to sit through the Orientation?" Ace asked, although he did not have a drop of actual concern in his voice.

"Go before I make it two hundred," Akainu snapped and Ace and Marco stood up from their seats.

"Haha, looks like I'll be the one eating today," a guy with his brown hair coiffed to a puffy pompadour quipped to Ace and Marco.

"Shut up, Thatch. You better save some food for us," Ace muttered as he tipped his cowboy hat at Akainu and shot Luffy a wink to let him know it was all good.

"We'll see how generous I feel after lunchtime," Thatch said between his smiling teeth.

"We'll be off then," Marco said as he followed Ace out of the room while whistling a happy tune.

"Now, as I was saying," Akainu said, "Currently, I am a teacher for the Third Year Class. On my left is Borsalino Sensei, a teacher for the first year, and on my right is Kuzan Sensei, who teaches the second year."

He then smirked at the classroom. "Fortunately for us, we do not have to teach all of you. We are the teachers responsible for anyone who wish to be a part of MARINEs. You lowlives, who just want to ride the coattails of the other students of this school, will be taught by some other lowlife teachers, who will introduce themselves to your homeroom."

"...Are teachers allowed to talk to students that way?" Coby muttered to Luffy and Akainu's eyes snapped towards Coby.

"You, back there with the pink hair! What's your name?" he demanded.

"M-M-My name is Coby, sir," Coby called as his knees knocked together in fear.

"And do you want to join the MARINEs?" Akainu asked.

"Yes...Yes, I do," Coby stammered.

"Say 'Sir, yes, sir!'" Akainu commanded.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Coby yelled.

"Good," Akainu said, "Then your homeroom teacher will be Borsalino Sensei and if you're lucky and smart enough not to get expelled, he'll stay your homeroom teacher for the next three years."

"Now then," Akainu continued, "Let's move on to rules and regulation. You all have packets in your hand and are expected to read through the whole thing. The first time you break a rule, it's detention. The second time you break a rule, suspension. The third time, expulsion and I don't just mean from this school. You'll be expelled from the entire school system in this country. You will not be able to complete your high school degree let alone go off to a university."

There were shocked gasps that echoed throughout the standing row of First Years but the other students nodded in understanding, as this was the upteenth time they've been reminded of the Three Break System.

"Now that you understand the severity of breaking the rules, you'll understand the importance of reading through that packet that you hold in your hands," Akainu continued, "I don't just mean for the First Years, either. There have been changes and updates to the rules so Second Years, Third Years, you'll want to read through it as well. You all have two weeks to get familiarized with these rules before the Three Break System is put into place."

Coby shivered when a sudden spurt of bloodlust emerged from the Second and Third Years, both Pirates and MARINEs. "Wh-wh-what's going on?" he asked.

"Don't you get it?" a girl with short orange hair hissed from beside him, "They're giving us two weeks where the rules don't apply."

"So?" Coby asked.

"It means fighting is allowed," she said as they found a lot of older classmen, both MARINEs and Pirates alike, looking at them like they were cattle ready for slaughter.

"Ah...I think I'm coming down with 'Don't-Want-To Go-to-School-Itis'", a boy with a long nose shrieked under his breath, "I might stay home for the next week."

"Shishishishishi," Luffy laughed. He didn't even bother to lower his voice and his laugh travelled through the room and everyone turned to look at him in surprise, "Two weeks of freedom. That's amazing!"

It looked like the entire left wing of the school was reserved for the Lottery Class, which was more than enough space for them. As a whole, only 20% of the student body were of the Lottery Class so for the school to give up 50% of it's space to them was a clear sign that the Nobles wanted nothing to do with Pirates. The second floor was for the First Years, the third floor for the Second Years, and the fourth floor for the Third Years.

Out of the small group of Lottery Class students, only 50 of them were actual Pirates. The rest were all MARINEs. The majority of the Pirates were in the First Year with only a handful straggling in the Third Year and even less making it through graduation.

Luffy and Coby's classrooms were on opposite ends of the hall. Coby dropped off his stuff first into his homeroom before helping Luffy look for his so they both got to see the difference between a MARINE classroom and a Pirate classroom. For the MARINEs, the students' desks were made up of thick oak with matching seats and bookcases filled with leatherbound books.

Coby's face fell when he opened the door to Luffy's homeroom and saw that it was a stark contrast to the other classrooms. All the desks were vandalized in some way with etchings and spray paint along the desktop and even the legs. The rickety wooden chairs looked like they would break from just one good sneeze. The blackboard had so many scratches and graffiti on it that you could barely tell what the original surface looked like. The only books that were in the room were torn ones, laying on the floor, with escaped pages littered around it.

"Are you going to be okay, Luffy?" Coby asked nervously.

"Yep! I'll be fine. I'll see you around, Coby," Luffy said with a grin and strolled in as if he was used to this type of environment.

Luffy was the last one to enter the room and by that time all the seats in the back have been taken, leaving the front middle seats wide open. Luffy casually took the one closer to the window.

Luffy then turned to the boy sitting next to him. "Oy," Luffy said, "Switch seats with me."

It was the boy with the long nose, who stood near Luffy during orientation. His thick, wooly black hair was held away from his face by an olive green bandana. He looked incredulously at Luffy. "Why should I?'

"Because I want to be near the window," Luffy stated.

"That doesn't answer my question," the boy blustered.

"Oy, if you want to sit next to the window, you can switch seats with me," a female voice stated from behind the long nose boy.

Luffy turned to see the source. It was the girl with short orange hair and she placed her thumb and index finger together to indicate the money sign. "You just have to give me 100 bellis."

"I don't want your seat," Luffy said bluntly and turned to the long nose guy, "I want his."

"You don't want to mess with me!" the boy said exasperatedly. He put his hands on his hips and his nose in the air, "I am a legendary warrior and I lead a gang of over 100 men!"

"Woo," Luffy whistled, "Then you must be pretty strong. How about I fight you for the seat then?"

At that, the boy started to sweat a little and a nervous look flashed across his eyes. "Fight?" he squeaked and then quickly coughed to cover up his stumble, "Please. If you fight me, you'll be recovering until next semester."

"Whoahhhh!" Luffy cheered and started to loosen up his shoulder, "I wanna see that. Come on! Let's do it!"

That made the boy sweat more and he quickly held up his hands. "Whoah! Whoah! I do not wish to destroy your future here," he said hurriedly and stood up from his seat, "That would not be a thing an honorable warrior does. Here, you can have this seat."

"Shishishishi, okay," Luffy laughed and quickly moved into the chair, "But I still want to fight you later."

Usopp gulped and nervously took his place in his new seat. "We'll see," he said weakly.

The girl behind them snorted. "Idiots," she muttered, which made Luffy turn to her and stick his hand out.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy. I'm going to be the King of Pirates," he announced.

The girl stared at him for a moment and then she threw her head back and cackled. "Yeah, good luck on that," she said with a smirk and then reached out to shake his hand, "I'm Nami and that's Usopp."

"Huh? How did you know my name?!" the long nosed boy asked as he swung around in his seat. Then he gaped when Nami waved his wallet in his face.

"I pulled your ID and some other stuff," she said and tossed the billfold back to him. It was a lot lighter than before. He opened it up and realized all his money was gone.

"Oy! Give me back my money, you thief!" he shrieked and she gave him a wink.

"Okay but I'm keeping 10% of it," she said as she started counting off the money, "Think of it as an education fee."

"A what?!" Usopp sputtered.

"I just taught you a lesson that you should always keep an eye on your money," Nami said, handing him back the bills but keeping two of them for himself.

"Shishishishi," Luffy laughed, "You guys are funny."

"Excuse me," came a small voice from the other side of Nami. They all blinked at what looked like a talking stuffed animal with a pink top hat and antlers sticking out from both sides of it. He had a blue nose and very rounded eyes. "If you don't mind, Usopp, would you mind switching seats with me? I'm too short to see over your head."

"Eh?! A talking raccoon?!" Usopp cried out in surprise, "Boy, they sure make toys really life like these days."

"I'm not a raccoon and I'm not a toy!" the creature said indignantly and he pulled out his student ID for them, "I'm a reindeer and I ate the Human Human Fruit. See? I'm a student here. Registered and everything."

"Tony Tony Chopper," Nami read and she raised an eyebrow at him, "How old are you?"

"12," Chopper said.

"What?!" Nami cried, "But that means you basically skipped all of middle school. Are you a child prodigy?!"

A goofy grin came over Chopper's face and he squirmed in his seat. "Calling me that won't make me happy, you jerk!" he declared despite physically showing otherwise.

 _Thwack!_

The classroom door slid open and a seven foot tall man with his blue hair in a high pompadour came marching in. What was odd that was that there was a clanking sound with every step he took. He had sunglasses over a metal, prosthetic nose and he left his white collared shirt unbutton, revealing a muscled chest. A black tie hung limply around his neck without actually being knotted together. The only thing that actually was around his neck was a thick gold chain. He stood at the front of the classroom and he rolled up his sleeve, revealing half of a blue star tattooed on his forearms.

He brought the tattoo together and held his arms over his head. "OW! Are we all feeling super today?!" he called out.

He was met with crickets but that did not deter him. He stood up straight, placed his sunglasses at the top of his head and smirked at the class. "I'm your homeroom teacher, Franky, but don't call me Sensei or anything. That's too stuffy. From now on, I want you guys to consider me your Big Bro. Got it?! Super!"

Another round of silence.

"Now why don't we-"

 _ZZZZZZZZZZZ!_

Usopp, Nami, and Chopper's heads all snapped to the boy in the straw hat, who already had his feet propped on his desk and his head hanging upside down over his chair.

"He's asleep?!" they gasped.


	3. Recruiting the Swordsman

**Ch 2 - Recruiting the Swordsman**

When lunchtime came, Luffy was more than ready for it. He raced out of the classroom, practically flipping over his desk in the process, and he flew down the stairs to where the cafeteria was. Or at least where he thought it would be. He scratched his  
/head as he stared at the doorway to the girl's bathroom on the first floor.

"Eh?" he asked as he crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side, examining the sign a bit more closely, "I thought Ace said it was here…Where could it-"

The door swung open and it smacked Luffy across the face. "Ouch!" he cried and leapt back. He glared at his attacker and then his eyes widened when he saw Nami step through it.

"What are you doing here?" Luffy demanded, "How did you get here before me?"

Nami pointed down the hall and looked at Luffy like he had three heads, "I took the back stairwell. I wanted to wash my hands before- Wait! Why do you care? Are you some sort of pervert?!"

Luffy stamped his feet in frustration. "Ah! I'm looking for the cafeteria. I'm so hungry! Where's the food?"

Nami gaped at him. "The cafeteria is right over- Ugh! Come with me. I'll show you," she groaned. She grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him behind her, "God. Didn't you even read the map they gave us? This building is really easy to navigate."

She escorted him to the cafeteria and by that time a long line had already formed for the grub, which Luffy did not appreciate in the slightest. "UGH! I want food. FOOD!" he cried.

The cafeteria was just like how the left wing was, entirely too big for the small number of students. There were dusty, crystal chandeliers that hung over head in what was clearly built to be a grand ballroom. The plastic patio furniture thrown around  
/the room indicated that the school did not even want to spare a dime on real tables and chairs for these students.

The food itself was more of a convenience store than anything. There were vending machines, packaged processed food, instant ramen, and a sour looking cashier, who was taking her sweet time punching in each order.

"Just wait in line and we'll get it," Nami snapped, quickly losing her patience with her new classmate.

"Oy! Luffy! Over here!"

"Huh?" Luffy looked around to see Chopper and Usopp waving at them near the front of line.

"You can come in with us," Chopper shouted cheerfully.

"Oooh! Thank guys!" Luffy yelled as he dashed forward, leaving Nami in a dust trail, "That's really nice of you."

"Oy! No cutting, First Year. What the hell do you think you're doing?" a Second Year MARINE blustered from behind him.

"I want food," Luffy said as if that explained everything.

"We all do. Now get in the back of the line!" the Second Year MARINE and he grabbed Luffy sternly by the shoulder.

"Gum Gum no Pistol!" Luffy shouted as he reached out extending his arm all the way to the back of the cafeteria and sent it flying into the MARINE's stomach. The MARINE was knocked clear across the room and everyone gaped at Luffy, including Usopp and  
/Chopper.

"Ah! I'm allowed to fight, right?" Luffy asked as he shot a questioning look at Nami.

"You ask this AFTER you punch him?!" Nami gasped as she ran over to him.

"What the hell did you do? Get him!" a fellow Second Year MARINE shouted as a group of them came running at Luffy.

"FIIIIIIIGHT!" someone else shouted and pandemonium ensued in the cafeteria. Chairs were being thrown around or used as bludgeoning devices. People were being tossed left and right. Sounds of punching, kicking, and even biting were chorusing everywhere.

"RORONOA ZORO!"

A stern voice shouted through the cafeteria and it shook with authority and power. The entire room fell into a hush and they all stiffened before turning to the source. A teacher wearing completely white from head to toe and a cigar between his teeth  
/came bounding through the cafeteria. Every pair of eyes were on him and they watched him walk to the back of the room, where the green haired student sat with his feet on the table.

"Oh! That's the guy from this morning," Luffy said with a smile and turning away from the guy he was just about to punch, "I know that guy."

"That's Roronoa Zoro," Nami sighed with a disapproving frown as she, Usopp, and Chopper peaked their heads out from under a table, "My older sister told me about him. He became the head of the Kendo Club just in his first year. He's won tons of awards  
/and trophies around the country. Because of that the school kind of turns a blind eye to his bad grades and some of the trouble he's caused."

"Your older sister told you?" Usopp asked in awe.

"Yeah," Nami said, "She graduated last year."

"Wow, two Lottery Class entrants from the same family?" Chopper whispered, "That's quite the luck."

"Actually, my mother was a MARINE here," Nami said, "She was able to pull some strings for us because she graduated as an upstanding student. It's one of the unspoken perks of becoming a MARINE."

"Yeah, that's how Gramps got me and Ace in," Luffy added.

"Okay, hold it, you're related to Ace as in _Portgas D. Ace_?!" Usopp shrieked, "And who the hell is Gramps?!"

"How come you didn't join the MARINEs then, Nami?" Chopper asked at the same time.

"Not interested," Nami replied with a grin, "I'm just here so I can get a job after I graduate. You make more money when you're a graduate of Mariejois High, you know."

"I see," Chopper said.

"Quiet guys," Usopp hissed nervously, "It looks like that Zoro guy is in big trouble."

Nami and Chopper turned to see what had gotten the long nosed boy all nervous and they could practically feel the wrath that was exuding from the teacher looming over the kendo master.

"Yeah? What do you want?" Zoro asked lazily.

 _Crash!_

With a hard brush across the table, the teacher swept Zoro's feet off the table and sent him falling sideways to the floor. "It's 'Yes, Smoker Sensei' to you," the teacher said.

"He teaches PE for all the Lottery Classes and part of the faculty that the MARINEs report to," Nami whispered to the group, "My sister warned me about him. He's really scary."

"Yeah, we can tell," Usopp muttered.

"Oy, what's your deal?!" Zoro snapped as he rubbed the part that hit the floor the hardest.

"I should ask you the same thing," Smoker replied and he nodded towards another table, where a girl with short, dark blue hair and framed pink glasses stood with a solemn look on her expression, "Your fellow Kendo Club member tells me that you have been  
/fighting students outside of the Kendo Club, from the Elite Class, the Lottery Class, and even from other schools."

Zoro glared at her. "You ratted me out, Copy Cat?!"

Before she could answer his attention was already back on the teacher. "Oy, they came to pick a fight with me," Zoro snapped, "Why the hell am I getting into trouble for it?"

"Because you're not the one that ended up in a hospital," Smoker replied and grabbed Zoro by the ear, dragging him to his feet, while swiping away all three of his kendo swords that were resting against the back of his chair.

Zoro immediately reached out to grab them back but Smoker quickly stepped out of the way. "Don't touch those! They're-"

"Property of the school," Smoker finished for him, "So within my rights to take from you as well as give you a proper punishment. Roronoa Zoro, you are to stay after school for extra study time."

"Until when?" Zoro demanded.

"The school has turned a blind eye to your failing grades for too long. I'm sentencing you to a month of Study Hours. You are to go to the library to study everyday after school instead of going to Kendo Club until you have a passing grade on your first  
/exams for _all_ subjects. Consider yourself out of the Kendo Club until then."

Zoro's eyes widened and even Tashigi let out a little gasp. They both realized the implications of this. "Wait but there's a tournament that we've entered in two weeks and the first exam isn't until a month away!"

"Then I guess you'll be missing it," Smoker stated and turned his attention to the rest of the cafeteria, "What are you all staring at?!"

The students hurriedly went back to their meals and the sounds of chatter rose up again, while Smoker turned to exit the cafeteria. Everyone averted their eyes away from the stern teacher and the fuming swordsman. Everyone, that is, except Luffy. Without  
/a word, he walked over towards Zoro.

"Luffy?" Nami, Chopper, and Usopp asked.

When Luffy was about to walk past Smoker, the teacher paused a little in his step. Smoker eyed Luffy's back and puffed on his cigar. "You better be careful who you align yourself with, First Year," he said.

Luffy stopped and he turned to grin back at Smoker. "Shishishishi. But being careful isn't fun," he said before turning around and going back on his way. He kept his grin on his face even when the swordsman practically gnashed his teeth at him.

"What the hell do you want?" Zoro spat, "Are you going to try to fight me now that I don't have my swords?"

"Oy, if I help you get your swords back and get you back in the tournament," Luffy asked jovially, "Will you join my pirate crew?"

"HUH?!" Zoro asked. He blinked at the boy with the straw hat, "Your pirate crew?"

"Yeah," Luffy said, "Shanks told me that Gol D. Roger gathered up members of the Lottery Class and called them his pirate crew. They had all sorts of fun together even after he became the King of Pirates. So what do you say? Wanna join?"

Zoro opened his mouth and then shut it. Then he opened it again but no words came out. "I…" he said before snapping his jaw shut and glaring at Luffy. He got up to his feet and brushed past Luffy, "I don't have time for this. I gotta go get my swords  
/back."

He marched out of the cafeteria and on his way to where the teachers' offices were. He was beyond peeved that the boy in the straw hat was hot on his heels.

"C'mon. Just join the crew," Luffy said with a grin, "I'm going to become the King of Pirates and then we can do whatever we want in this school."

Zoro remained quiet, refusing to acknowledge the boy's existence as he rounded a corner. Luffy, on his end, took the swordsman's silence as confusion.

"I heard," Luffy explained, "When you become King of Pirates, even the teachers leave you alone. You can just spend all day in the cafeteria and no one would say a word! Isn't that so cool?"

Zoro's scowl deepened and he pushed open a heavy wooden door to find him and Luffy standing outside in the school's courtyard.

"Wooo, where is this?" Luffy asked as he ran out to get a better look. The courtyard had a large marble fountain in the middle with water spouting out of a stone carving of 19 dragons. Bordering around the fountain were rose bushes and neatly trimmed  
/hedges along with marble benches and a white gazebo tucked away in the corner, "Is this where that Smoyan guy put your swords?"

"No," Zoro grunted as he clenched his fist, "It's-"

"Just admit you're lost, marimo."

Zoro very visibly trembled with annoyance as he turned to glare at a blonde boy, who sat cross legged on a marble bench and was casually smoking a cigarette. He let out a slow stream of smoke that rose up and flowed past his spiraled eyebrows.

"What the hell are you doing here, Curly Brow?" Zoro spat.

"I'm always here," the boy said, "Haven't you forgotten this is where I do my business?"

"Yeah. Selling those bento boxes to guys but giving it out for free to the girls in hopes of scoring a date," Zoro asked with disgust, "Which Noble agreed to go out with you this time? Vivi? Violet?"

The blonde shrugged as he looked wistfully at the door as if Zoro wasn't there. "Who knows? Maybe I'll be graced by the presence of an innocent First Year today. I'll let fate decide."

"God, how creepy are you?"

Sanji casually pointed his cigarette at Luffy, who was running around the fountain, trying to spot all the dragons, "I'm not the one who came out to the most romantic spot on campus with another guy. Got yourself a boyfriend, marimo?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Zoro growled, "He's-"

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy and I'm going to be the King of Pirates!" Luffy shouted as he leapt onto the stone border of the fountain and put his hands on his hips.

"Oh," was all the blonde said in a bored tone and he went back to puffing on his cigarette.

"Oy! Listen to me when I'm trying to talk to you!" Zoro roared, a vein pulsing along his neck, but then he snapped back to reality, "Gah! I don't have time to waste. I need to get my sword-"

 _Grrrrrrrrr._

Luffy's hands wrapped around his stomach and he sank to his knees. "Ah, I'm hungry. I didn't get to eat lunch," he complained, "Oy, Zoro. Let's go back to the cafeteria and-"

"Why are you lumping me in with your plans?!" Zoro shouted.

To Luffy's surprise, the blonde boy stuck an opened bento box under his nose. The smell of well marinated barbecued meat over rice came rising into his nostrils, which made Luffy instantly drool.

"Here, eat this. No charge," the blonde boy said and Luffy quickly snatched it out of his hands. He shoved it in his mouth by the fistful and didn't even bother with the utensils that the blonde was holding in his other hand, "It's my last one but it  
/doesn't seem like anyone else is coming out for lunch so I don't want it to go to waste."

"So...so...SO GOOD!" Luffy exclaimed as the boy let out a smirk, "You made this?! Why the hell are you in school then? You can just open up a restaurant right now!"

"I know that," the blonde said, obviously irritated by Luffy's statement, "But it's a deal I made with Old Man Zeff."

"Who?"

"He owns the restaurant I work in," the blond replied as he took another drag of his cigarette, "I finish school and he'll loan me the money to start my own restaurant, the All Blue!"

"Which restaurant do you work at now?" Luffy asked, clearly more interested in a real meal than a hypothetical meal one.

"The Baratie," the boy said and then realized Luffy was looking blankly at him, "Have you never heard of the Baratie? It's the best restaurant in the country!"

"Eh, I just moved here," Luffy said with a shrug, "Gramps didn't want me affected by city life until I was old enough to handle it."

"Whatever," the blonde said as he stubbed out his cigarette and got to his feet, "You better finish up. Class is going to start soon."

"Okay," Luffy replied as he shoved the entire bento box in his mouth and pulled it out completely clean. Then he handed it to blonde, "Thank you for the food!"

"Idiot, wash it before you give it back to me!" the blonde said, recoiling at the drool that was dripping from the sides of the box.

"Okay," Luffy said with a shrug and turned to the fountain.

"Don't wash it in there!" the blonde roared and then he sighed, "Geez. No wonder the marimo looked so annoyed when he came out of here. You're a big pain in the ass."

"Marimo?" Luffy asked with a frown, "Do you mean Zoro?"

Then his eyes widened when he realized the swordsman was gone. "Ah! He left without me! Damn it! I gotta help him so that he can join my pirate crew."

The blonde raised his unique eyebrow. "Pirate crew?"

Luffy nodded earnestly. "Yep! I told Zoro that I was going to help him get his swords back in time for the Kendo Tournament and if I succeed, he'll join my pirate crew!"

The blonde's eyebrow did not move. "Sounds like you missed a few details there, Luffy, but I think I get what you're saying...So the marimo's out of the Kendo Club, huh? Who punished him?"

"This guy named Smoyan," Luffy said.

"Smoker?" the blonde asked.

"Yeah, that's what I said," Luffy replied, "He says Zoro needs to pass all of his exams in order to get back into the Kendo Club. Oh! And he has to take the exams two weeks earlier than scheduled in order to make it to the tournament."

The blonde snorted. "Yeah, like that could ever happen." He stuffed his hands in his pocket and walked back into the school, "Sorry, Luffy. You're asking for the impossible. It's a miracle that meathead even knows how to read. You might as well give up  
/now."

"Never!" Luffy cried and he tackled the blonde to the ground.

"What the hell? What was that for?" the blonde cried as he pushed Luffy off of him.

"Cause I felt like it!" Luffy shouted and then he grinned at the blonde, "Oy! You seem pretty smart. Why don't you help Zoro get his grades up?"

The blonde reacted as if Luffy asked him to drink arsenic. "Help the marimo? Never," he said and he stood up to wipe the dust off of his well tailored pants, "Besides, to get that meathead's grades up you need more than my brain. You'll need a genius."

"Oh! I can ask Chopper!" Luffy shouted and sprang to his feet, "He skipped three grades all by himself and-"

"Idiot," the blonde scoffed, "If I don't know who that is, that means he's probably a First Year. The marimo and I are in a second year. You'll need a genius either from our year or higher."

"Is there a genius in your year?" Luffy demanded.

The blonde smirked. "Yeah but she'd never agree to it."

"What's her name?! I can go talk to her."

"Cogan Reia-chan," the blonde said, "But she hates the marimo even more than I do. You'll never-"

"COOOGANNN REIIIIAA!" Luffy's scream rattled all the windows facing them as Luffy dashed back into the building, "WHEEEREEE ARE YOUUUU?!"

His voice faded leaving the blonde staring incredulously at the dust trail and saliva coated bento box the rubber man had left behind. "What a rude idiot," he scoffed, "Didn't even bother to ask me my name."

* * *

"I wonder where that idiot ran off to," Nami said as she, Usopp, and Chopper headed back towards their classroom, "He got lost just from finding the cafeteria. I doubt he's going to get back to class in time."

"Eh, you never know," Usopp with a shrug, "He could be-"

"NAMMMIIIIIIII!"

"EH?!" Usopp, Chopper, and Nami screamed, suddenly finding two very long arms wrapping around their waists like a rope.

 _Wham!_

Without warning, Luffy slammed into the back of the three as he pulled them in. He knocked the entire group to the ground. "Nami!" he demanded as he jumped to his feet, not even noticing that Chopper was very winded by his blow, "You know your way around  
/the school. I need to go to wherever Cogan Reia is."

"Who?" Usopp wheezed.

"Cogan Reia!" Luffy shouted as if that explained everything.

"I know where the rooms are, not where the _people_ are!" Nami fumed as she punched Luffy hard across the cheek, sending him flying into the side of the wall.

Usopp's eyes widened. _Nami is scarily strong._

Luffy seemed to reach the same conclusion but with a different reaction. "Shishishishishi," he laughed as he rubbed the side of his cheek and stood back up again, "Nami! Wanna join my pirate crew too?"

"Too?" Nami blustered, "Who else did you get to join- Wait! Not the point. Of course I'm not going to join your crew. There's nothing in it for me!"

"It'll be fun," Luffy grinned.

"Pass," Nami said as she glared at him and marched down the hallway, "Just because we're classmates doesn't mean we're friends. Don't act all chummy with me. I barely know you."

"I'm Monkey D.-"

"Yeah, I got that," Nami snapped, "But I'm still not going to help you."

"More importantly, Luffy, did your arms just stretch again?!" Usopp shrieked.

"Shishishishi," Luffy laughed, "I ate the Gum Gum Fruit. I'm a rubber man."

"What?!" Nami cried, "Devil Fruits are extremely rare and expensive. How the hell did you get your hands on one? Are you from a rich family?!"

"Or," Usopp yelled out in fear, "Are you tied to a gang in someway and got your hands on one from the underground market?!"

"Wait, how come you guys didn't ask me that when I told you I ate the Human Human Fruit?" Chopper asked indignantly.

"No offense, Chopper, but no one would really buy that. It's kind of the weakest Zoan fruit out there," Usopp said.

"How rude! The Human Human Fruit is just as special as the other Devil Fruits!" Chopper huffed.

"Then how did you come by it? Are you rich?" Nami asked.

"No," Chopper said as he averted his gaze, "I just accidentally ate one in the forest when I was a little baby."

"Shishishishishi," Luffy laughed, "Me too! I accidentally ate mine when I was a kid."

"Y-Y-Y-Y-You accidentally ate one?!" Nami stuttered as she grabbed Luffy by the collar, "Are you kidding me? Do you know how much a Devil Fruit is worth?! Especially a Paramecia and Logia Fruit?!" She felt weak at the knees just thinking about how much  
/money Luffy had let slip from his fingers.

"What? I didn't realize Shanks had found a Devil Fruit. I thought it was a snack so I ate it," Luffy said with a shrug.

"Sh-Sh-Sh-Shanks? 'Red Hair' Shanks?! The famous Devil Fruit hunter?!" Usopp shrieked, "How the hell do you know him?"

"Oh, he used to come to this bar in my hometown a lot," Luffy said as he picked his nose and recalled that day in Makino's bar, "Yeah, the Devil Fruit was a surprise but not as surprising as learning that he and Gramps graduated from the same school."

"Gramps?" Nami asked and then it hit her, "Monkey…D…Luffy. Your gramps is Monkey D. Garp?! _The_ Garp?! The decorated army General for this country?!"

"Yep," Luffy said with a nod.

"What kind of crazy life do you live?!" Usopp shrieked.

"Shishishishi," Luffy said, "Well, Gramps didn't really raise me. He was travelling all the time."

"That's not the p-" Usopp started to say but then Chopper dropped down onto the floor.

"I'm feeling...a little faint," Chopper breathed.

"Oy, Luffy?" Usopp asked as he snapped his fingers in front of Chopper's eyes to help him come to, "Who is this Cogan Reia and why are you trying to find her?"

"This guy said that she could help Zoro pass his exams," Luffy rushed in one breath, "And if he does, he'll be able to get out of detention and then get his sword back and then he can be part of my pirate crew."

"Huh? Who said that?"

Luffy's mouth shut and then a sheepish smile came over his face. "Whoops. I forgot to ask his name but he's in the same class as Zoro and Cogan Reia, apparently."

"If that's the case," Chopper breathed as he struggled to get to his feet before slipping and falling back down on his rear end, "Why don't you just go to Zoro's classroom then? Class is about to start so they'll probably be all there."

"Ah! Good idea, Chopper!" Luffy exclaimed as he rushed forward, "Thanks!"

"You're welcome, Luffy…" Chopper said with stars still in his eyes.

"Oy, Chopper, you don't look too good," Usopp said with a frown, "Here, I'll take you to the infirmary."

"Yeah. I think I might have...a mild concussion," Chopper whispered dazedly, "I need to lie down, maybe take some ibuprofen. If symptoms don't ease up by the end of the day, I might go to the hospital to order a-"

"Whoa," Usopp breathed, "You sure know a lot about medicine."

Chopper blinked hard and tried to clear his head. "Yeah...I want to...become a doctor one day. Just like Doctor and Doctorine."

"Who?!"


	4. LC-2B

**A/N:** Not going to make it a habit to post so many chapters in such a short period of time but I just want to set up the bases of this story.

Have come up with a posting sched for all my works so you can go to my profile to see it. YAY DISCIPLINE!

Okay now...enjoy ;)

* * *

 **Ch 3 - LC-2B**

"OY! Cogan Reia! Show yourself!" Luffy cried as he flung open the door to room LC-2B and stood with his hands on his hips. Beside him, a very embarassed Nami had her fists clenched at her side and her cheeks were a little red. This was not how she wanted to present herself to the upper classmen and she was perplexed on how she ended up navigating Luffy through the school again. The boy's secret power was clearly the ability to get his way somehow. She was never going to underestimate it again.

They were met with the stony silence of the second year students of the Lottery Class. Every pair of eyes scanned Luffy from head to toe sizing him up. Every pair, that is, except a seated individual with her head hidden behind the thickest book Nami had ever seen. She sat at the farthest end of the room and in the back corner, closest to the window.

"Cogan Reia!" Luffy shouted again, "Where are you?!"

The textbook slowly lowered, revealing a girl with brightly red hair that was tied into a neat braid down her back. Her meadow green eyes blinked back at the Straw Hat and Nami, who was surprised to see that despite being a girl, she was wearing a boy's uniform.

"I'm right here, Monkey D. Luffy," the girl said softly and calmly, "There's no need to shout."

Luffy marched towards her but was stopped midway by a tattooed hand that shot out to block his way. There was a circular symbol tattooed in the back of the hand with the letters DEATH inked on his fingers.

"Don't just come barging in here, Straw Hat-ya," the owner of the hand said coolly with his feet resting on his desk and his fluffy white and black spotted hat tilted over his eyes, "This is not your classroom."

The girl shut her book and got up to her feet. "No need to start unnecessary trouble, Trafalgar D. Water Law. I'll just talk to him outside."

"Why the hell are you calling me by my full name, Rei-ya?!" Law asked, his head lifting up so he could shoot an exasperated look at her.

"Monkey D. Luffy called me by mine so I thought that was what was socially acceptable now," she said, ignoring the snickers and eyerolls from her fellow classmates.

 _This girl is weird,_ Nami thought with a sweatdrop.

"Shishishishi," Luffy laughed but in a light hearted manner, "I'll call you whatever you want me to call. You can call me Luffy. I'm going to be-"

"The King of Pirates," the girl replied, "I know. My uncle already told me about you and people call me Rei."

"Uncle?" Luffy asked with a tilt of his head.

The girl pointed at his signature accessory. "You're wearing his hat."

Luffy's eyes widened with excitement. "Shanks! Shanks is your uncle?!"

Rei nodded while she quickly walked past Luffy and out the door. "Yes. Now let's talk outside as not to bother Trafalgar D. Water Law."

"Again," Law huffed, "You don't need to call me by my-"

"Okay. I'll see you around, Tra-guy!" Luffy laughed as he followed Rei out the door, not catching the thunderous look that came over Law's face and the stifled laughter from a boy in a penguin hat that sat behind Law.

Law's eyes caught Nami's and he glared at her. Nami took a nervous step back and was about to bolt out of there when suddenly, something extremely random happened that took her completely off guard.

"Mellorine! There's a new mellorine!"

"Eh?" Nami gasped as a blonde tornado came whirling to her. Without warning, she found her hand being held by a guy kneeling down in front of her with a rose between his teeth.

"Oh! I would go through the depths of hell just to be able to spend more moments like this with you. Please, tell me your name, beautiful lady!" he swooned.

"What?!" Nami found her voice and she snatched her hand away from him. She regained her confidence when she realized he had not even an ounce of hostility in him, "I'm Nami, a First Year."

"Oh! Nami-swan!" the blonde cried as he got up to his feet and did a proper bow with one hand behind his back and the other crossing his chest, "I am your humble servant, Sanji."

Nami's eyes flashed and a smirk set on her lips. "My servant, huh? It's very nice to meet you, Sanji-kun!"

* * *

Rei walked with her spine straight as an arrow with her chin held high and her hands clasped behind her back. She walked down to a quiet part of the hall and then turned sharply to face Luffy. "So what can I help you with?"

"Why are you wearing a guy uniform?" Luffy asked immediately.

If Rei was caught off guard by the question, she did not show it. "It covers me better," she replied, "And I find the girl's uniform too restricting in terms of movement."

"Oh," Luffy said with an understanding nod. The girl uniforms did look very uncomfortable. It looked to tight around the waist. What would happen if they had a big meal?!

"Is that all you came to talk to me about?" Rei asked.

"Oh! No!" Luffy shouted as he pumped his fist in the air, "I need you to help get Zoro-"

"No," Rei said automatically.

"Why not?" Luffy demanded, "You haven't heard the whole thing yet!"

"I do not deal with people of his kind."

"Green haired people?" Luffy asked.

"Bounty hunters."

"Huh?"

"You haven't heard about the bounty system in our school?" Rei asked and Luffy frowned.

"I think Ace might have mentioned it...but…" he started to say. His brow furrowed and he tried to think really hard.

"I'll explain," Rei said and alleviated Luffy from the hassle of brainwork, "There's an unspoken system that the administration has established here. Every Pirate has a bounty placed on them. If a student can get that Pirate to withdraw from school voluntarily, the school board would pay you a monetary reward depending on how high the bounty is for that Pirate. First Year Pirates automatically get a starting bounty of 1000 bellis and it'll only increase with the longer you stay here and the amount of trouble you cause. You all are also fresh meat and easy targets so not many First Years last to see their Second Year."

"Eh?" Luffy asked and Rei took a moment to try to explain it in a more concise manner.

"The school will pay you to get rid of Pirates," she finally said and Luffy's eyes widened, "That's why these next two weeks at school is considered the Hunting Season of the term. There are students who like to profit from this."

"Wait. Are you saying Zoro-"

Rei nodded. "He's beaten fellow classmates to the point that they could not return to school to finish the term and he's collected the money for it," she said with disdain, "I do not like the type who betray their own."

"Eh, but Zoro seems like an okay guy," Luffy replied as he crossed his arms over his chest and thought about the green haired swordsman, "I'm sure he must have his reasons. Maybe those guys deserved to have their asses kicked."

"There is not a good enough reason for betrayal," Rei said curtly, "I'm sorry, Luffy. I would gladly help you in any way that I can. It just can't involve Roronoa Zoro."

"Tch, like I would want to get involved with a Know It All like you," came a growl and they turned to see the green haired swordsman walking down the hall, "Don't flatter yourself. I don't need your help."

"I'm guessing your talk with Smoker Sensei didn't go well since I don't see you with your usual weapons," Rei stated but then she tilted her head to the side, "Or did you spend this entire time trying to find your way back to class?"

Zoro's jaw clenched even tighter and Rei nodded at his reaction. "The latter, I see," she said as she returned to the room.

Zoro glared at Luffy, who was frowning back at him. "What?!" Zoro demanded.

"Oy! Do you want to fight in that tournament or not?!" Luffy asked, "Why the hell won't you ask Rei to help you, Zoro?!"

Zoro pointed at the opened door of LC-2B. "Are you kidding me?! What part of 'That Know It All wants nothing to do with me' do you not get?! God, get a clue, Luffy," he growled and stormed towards the classroom just as the bell started to ring, "And stick your nose in someone else's business."

"But you're part of my crew!" Luffy shouted as Zoro disappeared into the room, brushing past Nami, who hurriedly grabbed Luffy so they wouldn't be late for class.

"NO, I'M NOT!" the swordsman roared back as he sat himself in the back corner, in the direct opposite side of the classroom from Rei. He glared at any of his classmates that dared to look his way. Everyone averted their gaze when their eyes met his except for one pair in the front of the room, who blatantly looked back at him like he was a petulant child. Zoro's scowl deepened, "Oh, don't even start with me, Curly Brow."

The blonde shot up to his feet. "You wanna have a go, marimo? I dare you to try me!"

Zoro leapt up and from his seat, Law rolled his eyes. "Everytime with these idiots," he muttered.

"Yohohohohohoho! Your meal must have been very energizing today," sang out their homeroom teacher's voice as the classroom door slid open and their teacher stepped in. He was a walking, talking skeleton. He had eaten the Revive Revive Fruit and was brought back to life when he died over 50 years ago ago. He wore circular sunglasses over his eyes and instead of a tie, he had on a blue cravat.

Rumor has it that he was once in a famous musical group but no one could remember the name. They also didn't know how he actually died. If they mentioned any of those two things, he would just laugh and say, "Yohohoho! That was in a previous life! It's not important now!"

He walked in and to everyone's surprise, he brought in with him a new girl with shoulder length amber hair and faded green eyes. She had on her head an aviator's helmet and goggles. What was puzzling about this girl was the fact that she wore a tool belt over her school uniform with an assortment of tools dangling from it. She had scars and scratches all along her legs and arms that weren't covered by her uniform.

"I'd like to introduce everyone to a new student! This is Mizu Nana."

"Whoahhhh! Another new mellorine! God has been so kind to me today!" Curly Brow shouted. Suddenly he was at the front of the class, down on one knee, and holding her hand, "You are an angel descended from heaven and I will worship you forever."

"I might vomit," Zoro stated, "Room that trash can over to me, Law."

"Get it yourself, Roronoa-ya."

Nana threw her head back and laughed. "I certainly didn't expect to meet Prince Charming in this class."

"Check out the scars! And what's with the get up?" a second year in the middle of the class scoffed. He had spiky red hair and his own set of goggles perched on his head.

"You're one to talk, Rooster Head," the new girl quipped without hesitation as she shot him a condescending look.

"What did you say?!" he growled back as he stood up from his desk.

"Calm down, Eustass-ya," Law stated from his desk, "You've been called worse."

The new girl's expression did not waver but her eyes moved to Law. "And who said I needed you to come to my defense, Panda Eyes?"

Law's face darkened. "Oy, Mizu-ya, you better watch-'

Without warning, Nana turned on her heels, grabbed a piece of chalk and wrote "Your Face" on the blackboard. Then she turned to face the class again. With a grin fixed on her face, she took the hammer out from her tool belt and smashed it against the center of her writing. It shattered and broke into many pieces revealing a crack in the wall behind it as well.

"My name is Mizu Nana," the girl said, "I'm the number one employee at the Galley La Company! Any more questions?"

"Galley La?" Rei asked without looking up from her textbook, "That's the shipping conglomerate, right?"

Nana nodded. "Yep! We do everything from shipping and delivering to ship and motor vehicle maintenance, construction, and demolition," she said and then she shot a pointed look at Law and Kidd, "For you fucking morons, it means I break and build things for a living."

"Ah...the board," her teacher said with a lot less alarm than a person in his position should have.

Nana grinned and pulled out a smart phone. "Oy, it's me. Yah. Can you tell Paulie or Tilestone to bring a fresh blackboard to school? I gotta replace a broken one," she said loudly into it and then she grimaced at whatever was said at the other end of the call, "Why are you automatically assuming it's something _I_ did?"

 _But it_ was _you_ , the rest of the class thought with a sweat drop.

"Just get it over here by the time class ends," Nana snapped.

There was another pause.

"I don't know? 2pm?" she said to the phone.

"Ano, school ends at 3:30pm, Nana-san...and it's already 1pm now," Brook pointed out but Nana wasn't listening.

"You want me to what?!" Nana demanded and then she let out a heavy sigh. "Fine."

She shut off her phone and she turned to to the teacher, "Sorry for the mess, Sensei," she said begrudgingly, "And sorry for coming in this late. I missed this morning's class because I was busy finishing up with one of the cars and don't worry about the wall. It'll be replaced before tomorrow."

"That's quite alright, Nana-san. Just make sure you're on time from now on and please, call me Brook Sensei," the afro man said with a kind smile.

Nana grinned and slapped him hard on the back, "You're pretty cool, Brook! Now where should I sit?"

"Eh? You forgot the Sensei part," Brook corrected but his voice was drowned out by one of his students from the back of the room.

"The only empty desk available that has a chair that can still withstand the weight of a person is next to me," Rei called out with her nose still stuck in her textbook, "So it would only be logical that you sat here."

"Nana-channnn," Sanji cried, waving his hand high up in the air, "You can come sit next to me!"

He then glared at his present seat mate, who was a chubby boy with a cherub like face and a polar bear hat on his head. "Oy! Get the hell out of here and give Nana-chan your seat, Bepo!"

Bepo hung his head in shame. "Sorry, I am in your way."

"Oy, Bepo!" Law called from his desk, "Don't apologize if you haven't done anything wrong!"

"Sorry, Law," he said.

Nana snorted and patted Bepo on the back as she walked past him. "Don't worry about it. Don't wanna cause any trouble on my first day."

"You already did," Law said.

Without looking his way, Nana flipped him the bird which made Kidd laugh. Nana turned and shot a wink at the blonde with the curly eyebrows. "If you wanna get to know me, here's where you can reach me," she said and whipped out a business card with MIZU NANA, GALLEY LA COMPANY printed in huge black letters.

"Ah! I got her number!" Sanji sighed as he clutched the card tightly to his chest, revealing that the back was a punch card.

"Psh, you got a discount to maintain a car you don't even own," scoffed a girl with long pink hair, a piercing just below her eyes, and a brimless green cap on her head. She sat directly behind Bepo and was within viewing distance of the card.

"Bonney-chan, don't worry. I still care about you too!" Sanji sang out and the girl scowled.

"I don't care about you at all!" she snapped, "All you are is my food delivery boy."

Nana ignored all of this and she plopped herself down next to Rei. Her eyes fell on the thick book that Rei was holding, _Criminal Law Volume 2: Court of Appeals._ "Oh good, you're a nerd," Nana said as she leaned back in her chair and made herself comfortable, "That makes things easier for me."

Rei tilted her head at Nana and blinked back at her. "You can't cheat off of my test paper," she stated and Nana grinned back.

"Ha! You caught on pretty quick," Nana said, "Why not? Now that we're seat mates, we gotta help each other out, don't we?"

That seemed to take Rei aback and she contemplated the mechanic's words. "Is there a social protocol to people who happen to sit next to each other?" she asked.

Nana looked curiously at the girl. _Social protocol? Is she one of those socially awkward nerds?_

She folded her arms across her chest and shrugged. "Of course there is," she said, playing it off as it was a common knowledge, "Like how you can borrow eggs and sugar from your neighbors."

"I did read about that understanding between people who live in close proximity to one another... so I guess it makes sense," Rei said slowly, "Being that I'm the only person next to you, then that sort of makes us comrades in some way but...what's in it for me?"

"Huh?"

"You said we had to help each other out so how would you help me?"

 _Huh...This nerd might be socially clueless but she's not an idiot,_ Nana thought with a frown. "Do you own a car?" she asked.

"No."

"Does your family?"

"No."

"No other modes of transportation?"

"No."

Nana's frown deepened. She didn't want it to come to this but she also didn't want to study. But then she remembered what was at stake if she were to flunk or drop out of this school. _I have to do it,_ she thought and she took in a deep breath. "Do you want a car?"

Rei blinked back at her. "You're going to give me a car?"

Nana nodded. "I found this old car that I've been refurbishing on for years. It's almost done and even though I found it in a junkyard, I promise you that-"

"Done," Rei said automatically, cutting off Nana's sales pitch.

It took Nana by surprise. _She must be either really trusting or in dire need of a car,_ Nana thought to herself. Then she flashed Rei a grin. "Alright. If you let me copy off of your test, I'll give you a car."

"Ano, Nana-san, Rei-san," their gentle teacher advised from the front of the room, "Maybe you shouldn't talk about cheating that loudly. You wouldn't want to break the rules, would you?"

Rei blinked back at her teacher. "It would only be breaking the rules if we get caught, yes?"

"In...a...way...I guess," Brook said with a sweat dropped down his head, "But now I know to keep an extra watch on you two. Ah! But I have no eyes. Yohohohoho!"

Nana nodded approvingly at Rei and she smiled at her. "What's your name?"

"Cogan Reia," Rei said, "But people prefer to call me Rei."

"Well, what do you prefer?" Nana asked.

"I don't really care," Rei replied, "A name is just a name."

"Well then, Nerdy Rei," Nana said and put her hand out in front of her, "Do we have a deal?"

Rei solemnly took her hand and gave it a firm shake. "Deal."

A grin spread over Nana's face. "Pleasure doing business with you."

"Is it really? How so?" Rei asked, blinking her eyes at Nana.

Nana smirked and she shook her head. "It's an expression, Nerd. Let it go."

"Oh. Okay."

* * *

The students heard the roaring of what sounded like a parade of tanks about two minutes before the school bang rang, indicating the end of class. The entire school pressed their noses against the front facing windows to see what the commotion was about.

Fifteen cargo trucks came pulling up at the front of the gate and a couple of men jumped out from the truck in the front. Nana grinned and pushed up the window she was looking out from. She grabbed a megaphone that was hanging from her tool belt and put it to her lips. "Paulie! Tank! Up here!" she called, "Second Floor! Room LC-2B!"

"Wait, you called them here?!" Jewelry Bonney shouted exasperatedly at the girl, "Who the hell are those guys?!"

"AHHHHHHH! Nana-san!" an enormously muscular man with an incredibly thick white beard that contrasted heavily with his short black hair yelled back. His voice was naturally louder than Nana's amplified one, "You didn't tell Iceberg-san what size so we brought all the ones we had in storage!"

"Whoops! My bad," Nana said with a grin as she shot a quick look at the front wall, "Give me a 2.5 by 1.2 and make it one of those magnetic ones."

"What the hell is going on here?!"

Every student in LC-2B, save Nana and Rei, who was calmly packing up her bag and getting ready to leave, turned to see Akainu standing on the doorway with a scowl on his lips. Brook quickly rushed to him. "Ano, Sakazuki Sensei, you see we accidentally broke the board and it looks like Nana-san is going to replace it right now."

Akainu's eyes narrowed at Nana, who was busy waving to the men downstairs, and she must've felt the attention on her because she stiffened and slowly turned to him. "Am I in trouble?" she asked bluntly.

"You're disrupting the peace," Akainu said, "And you will address me as 'sir'!"

"Ah," Nana said, "Well, I'm just trying to fix the blackboard. Is that alright with you, _sir_? It'll be up in 5 minutes, _sir_. I'll even fix the dent in the wall for the school, free of charge, _sir_."

Before Akainu could reply, Nana turned her head slightly towards the open window and lifted her megaphone again. "Oy! Paulie! Give me a bucket of spackle, a can of white paint, and some sandpaper while you're at it, would ya?"

There was three seconds of silence and then Tilestone roared out their reply. "AH! Paulie said we are not your personal delivery service."

"Don't be a little bitch and just fucking do it! I thought you wanted me to do well in school!" Nana roared, making her audience's eyes widen and shoot a nervous look at Akainu.

Nana, however, did not seem nervous in the slightest. "Is that okay with you, _sir_?" she asked with a bright smile.

"State your name," Akainu said sternly.

"Mizu Nana, mechanic for the Galley La company," Nana replied and with a flick of her wrist she held out her business card between two fingers, "... _sir_ …"

"Mizu...Nana," Akainu said slowly, not even bothering to take the card, and his eyes narrowed, "Ah. The Noble student that insisted on being part of the Lottery Class."

"The what?!" her fellow classmates gasped.

"I had my reasons," Nana said with a shrug. Then she tilted her head to the side to listen to something off into the distance and a smile spread over her face, "Speak of the devil!"

"OWWWW! NANA-BRAT! IS THAT SUPER YOU?!"

Franky came rushing into the room with Luffy pulling a very reluctant Usopp behind him. The First Year teacher didn't even realize that he had almost knocked Akainu over in his haste to get to Nana.

"Oy! What the hell are you doing here, Nana-brat?"

To everyone's surprise, Nana dropped her megaphone and charged at Franky, sacking him right in the gut as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and slamming him against the wall. How he managed to stay on his feet was a tribute to Franky's strength. He stiffened and looked down at the girl, who was clinging so tightly to him that he could feel the slight tremor in her arms.

"Don't tell me you're here...for me…" Franky said softly as he raised his sunglasses to look down at her.

"Now it all makes sense," Akainu said and drawing the attention back to him.

Nana reluctantly withdrew her hold around Franky's waist and turned to face the rest of the class, positioning herself so that she stood in front of the teacher, as if guarding him. Seeing Franky was a harsh reminder to Nana on why she was here.

"Mizu Nana," Akainu said, "For the next three weeks, you will be going to the library after school for Study Hours. This is for disrupting the peace, vulgar language, and bringing in unauthorized guests onto campus property. Consider this a freebie punishment before the Three Break System is implemented. And you will be on bathroom cleaning duty two weeks after your study time is complete."

"All bathrooms?" Nana asked with a wrinkle in her nose, "Even the Nobles?"

"Ow! Nana-brat, shouldn't you ask about gender and not about the different classes?" Franky commented.

"Do you have a problem with the Nobles?" Akainu asked.

Nana shrugged. "Not particularly. Just wondering if those kids even know how to wipe their own ass."

"That is a legitimate concern," Rei suddenly added calmly from her desk as she slipped her arms through the straps of her schoolbag, "Most of the Nobles grew up with attendants, butlers, and maids. Interesting...I never thought about it before. Quite an observation, Mizu Nana."

Nana tilted her head curiously at Rei but a grin came over her face. "Thanks, Nerd."

"Now if there's nothing you need from me, Brook Sensei," Rei said with a curt bow towards the skeleton, "I will be taking my leave. See you tomorrow, Brook Sensei."

"Ah! Yes," Brook said and he bowed back, "See you tomorrow, Rei-san! And don't forget to read chapters-"

"I already finished the book," Rei replied and briskly walked out of the room, giving Akainu a polite nod as she passed.

Akainu did not know what to react to first. The racket and commotion that was happening outside, the girl who was causing such a ruckus, or even the girl who seemed to be oblivious to it all. To his surprise, the decision was soon made for him.

A denim clad man with shoulder length blonde hair came barging in with two buckets in hand and a cigar between his lips. He dropped the buckets on the floor. They landed with a heavy thud. Without missing a beat he went over to Nana and forced her whole head and upper body down into a 90 degree bow. He bowed along with her.

"Apologies on the disturbance," he growled, "Nana has a lot to learn when it comes to discipline. On behalf of her guardian and the entire Galley La company, I sincerely apologize. Nana! Apologize! NOW!"

Nana said nothing and he pushed her head down even more. "NANA!"

And then he whispered something to her that made her suck in a breath like he had just punched her in the gut. Her fists clenched as they pressed against her thigh. "Sorry, sir," she muttered under her breath.

"It's fine," Akainu said, "I already gave her her punishment. Just make sure this doesn't happen again, Mizu Nana."

"She will," the man said as Akainu started to head for the door, "Mizu Nana, let me show you where you'll be spending the next three weeks."

Nana's head lowered and she looked down at the floor. "Fix the wall, Paulie, and then just go home," she said as she walked out, "Just tell Icy that I stayed behind for Study Hours."

At the mention of Study Hours. Luffy's eyes snapped to the swordsman. "AH! I forgot why I came up here! Zoro! Did you convince Rei to tutor you yet?!"

"What the hell? You still haven't given up on that?!" Zoro cried.

Luffy frowned and looked over at Usopp. "Maybe we'll ask Chopper then. It's better than nothing."

"Fine, let's go down to the infirmary. He might still be there," Usopp said, still not quite sure why Luffy insisted he come.

"Ow! If you guys are going there, I might as well come too," Franky shouted, "It's a Big Bro's job to make sure his Little Bro are super okay!"

"You're a teacher. You're not a Bro anymore!" Paulie snapped at Franky while he walked over to open up the bucket of spackle, "Stop acting like you're still the head of the Franky Family!"

"I _am_ still the head of the Franky Family," Franky replied with a grin. Then he lifted up his sunglasses so Paulie could see that there was nothing humorous in his eyes, "And just because me and Bakaberg are cool now, doesn't mean I'm cool with the rest of Galley La so super better watch your words."

With that he dropped his sunglasses back down to his nose and headed for the door, grabbing Luffy and Usopp by the waist and carrying them out with them as if they weighed nothing. "Brook Bro! You should dismiss your class now. The day is over," Franky called over his shoulder.

"Oh yes! Thank you, Franky Sensei!" Brook said and he clapped his hands, "Alright, everyone. Class Dismissed! Have a wonderful day and I'll see you all tomorrow!"

* * *

 _A/N: Yes, I made Bepo human. No minks in this universe. Sorry ;(_


	5. the Study Crew

**Ch 4 - the Study Crew**

"Oy! Chopper! Are you feeling better?!" Luffy shouted as he pushed open the door to the infirmary so hard that it banged against the wall it was hinged to and came swinging back into his face.

 _Thwack!_

"Oh my!" a soft feminine voice said with a hint of laughter.

"Luffy! Are you okay?!" Chopper's shrieked.

"Calm down, Straw Hat," Franky said as he opened the door and held it open for Usopp and Luffy to walk in. Luffy was rubbing the front of his nose when he entered and then he dropped his hand when he spotted the reindeer. Chopper was resting on a cot with his head bandaged. His hat rested on the empty cot next to him.

"Chopper! Are you all good now?" Usopp asked as he and Luffy approached the bed.

"En!" Chopper said and nodded toward a woman sitting at a metallic desk with a glass shelf of different bottles and medical supplies in there, "Nurse Robin took care of me. I'm alright now. No concussion."

They turned to look at the woman. She had shoulder length black hair and her eyes were piercing blue eyes that were filled with wisdom. She smiled politely at them. "You must be Luffy and Usopp. Chopper was telling me all about you two and your classmate, Nami," she said and then directed her smile at Franky, "And you must be his teacher, Franky Sensei. He's told me a couple of things about you too."

Franky grinned and shook her hand, noticing how soft her hands felt overall despite having some definite calluses. "I already know who you are, Nico Robin."

Robin's hand instinctively jerked back and a look of fear flashed before her eyes but Franky kept a hold on her slim hand. "Don't worry," he said with the grin still stuck on his face, "We're super in the same boat."

He caught the curious looks his students were giving him. He dropped his hold on Robin and he gave them a thumbs up sign. "Ow! Just some adult talk. Not something you kids should worry about."

"Okay," Luffy said as he turned to Chopper, "Oy! Chopper! You're really smart and a genius so why don't you tutor Zoro?"

"Complimenting me like that won't make me happy, you jerk!" Chopper squealed as he wriggled beneath the blanket. Then he blinked back at Luffy, "Isn't Zoro a second year? I would have to learn the material first before I even know if I could teach him."

"Eh?" Luffy grumbled and crossed his arms around his chest, "If you can't do it and Rei won't do it...Is there another genius in this school we can ask then?"

Robin turned her swiveling chair so that she faced the students. She crossed her leg and leaned her elbow on top of her knee. She placed her chin in her hand and she smiled at them. "What seems to be the trouble, Captain?"

Luffy blinked at her. "Captain?"

"Chopper tells me that you are going to be the King of Pirates and are looking to gather a pirate crew," she said, "That makes you a captain."

Luffy grinned at her. "Shishishishishi. I guess that does."

"Yeah but at this rate you won't be able to get Zoro to join. Maybe you should just give up on him," Usopp sighed.

"Never!" Luffy stubbornly cried and he started to punch his fists in the air in frustration, "Ah! This would be so much easier if Rei would just agree to tutor Zoro!"

"Why wouldn't she?" Robin asked having no context of what Luffy was saying.

"She's got something against him," Luffy pouted, "She said she would help if it was me but she doesn't want anything to do with Zoro."

Robin tilted her head. "Then why not let her help _you_ instead of him?" she suggested.

"Huh?"

"Why not have her tutor you and then you can just pass on whatever you learned to Zoro?" Robin said.

"Oh yeah!" Usopp exclaimed as he knocked his fist against the palm of his hand, "Luffy, have her tutor you and just have Zoro in the same room or something. Then he can indirectly get all the information he needs to pass his tests. Great idea, Nurse Robin!"

"Yosh!" Luffy said and turned to Franky, "Franky! Give me Zoro's punishment!"

"HUH?!" Usopp and Chopper cried.

"Sure!" Franky replied with a shrug, "Although, I'm not sure what the actual punishment is but consider it done!"

"That's not what we're saying!" Usopp shrieked, "You could just be at the library with him! You don't have to be punished like Zoro! Rescind it. Rescind it, Franky Sensei!"

"Okay," Franky said.

"Wait! What?! No! Usopp, you said me and Zoro had to be the same right?" Luffy shouted, "Don't worry. I got it."

"You didn't get it at all!" Usopp and Chopper exclaimed.

Franky scratched the back of his head. "Ow! I'm super confused on what you want me to do."

Robin covered her mouth with her hand and let out a little giggle. Her eyes caught onto Franky and he grinned at her. She immediately straightened up a bit and put on a calm composure.

"It's okay to let your guard down, Sis," he said and gave her a reassuring thumbs up sign, "We're both super safe during school hours."

* * *

Zoro's chin rested on his chest with his arms folded over it as he napped at one of the library tables. There weren't many people in the Lottery Class library. Just him, that new girl and a Third Year named Marco. Apparently, they were the only three dumb enough to get into trouble on the first day of school.

The library was very large with built in bookshelves filled with dust covered books. It was clear that this room was hardly used. Thus there was no librarian in charge since no one expected anyone from the Lottery Class to actually come in here to read. Zoro doubted anyone knew what it meant to even check out a book. It was a foreign concept to him at least.

Green and gold lamps lined down the middle of long wooden desks with dusty velvet chairs tucked under them. There were enough chairs and tables for a hundred students to use but currently, it was just an abysmal three.

Zoro was napping at the table in the back, Nana was doodling car models like a madwoman at a table in the center of the room, and Marco was playing a game on his smart phone at the front of the room. Zoro heard a light thud in front of him and he slowly opened one eye to see what it was. He practically jumped out of his own skin when he saw Luffy, crouched at the top of the table, staring expectantly at him, with his nose dangerously close to Zoro's.

"AH! When the hell did you get in here?!" Zoro roared as his head snapped back and his hand automatically went to touch his rapidly beating heart, "I didn't even hear you come in!"

"Shishishishishi," Luffy laughed, "I told you I was going to help you."

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're going to tutor me."

The sound of heavy books being set down behind Luffy made Zoro raise his head to look over the Straw Hat's head. His eyes widened at Rei, who looked disapprovingly back at him. "I'm actually going to be doing the tutoring," she said.

"I thought you didn't want to tutor me?!" Zoro demanded.

"I'm not," she said as she pulled out a chair and sat with her back facing Zoro, "Luffy is my student and if anyone near us should hear my lesson, well, that's out of my control…"

"I thought you left already, Know It All," Zoro scowled.

"Luffy called me back. He used Franky Sensei to get my number from the school's directory," Rei stated.

"Shishishi," Luffy said, with his attention still on Zoro, "Rei's going to tutor me on the second year exams!"

"Huh?! But you're a first year!" Zoro blustered

"I'm not really sure about the details either," Luffy said with a shrug, "But Usopp and Robin seemed to think this would work."

"Who?!"

"Oh my god. This is so painful just to listen to!" Nana suddenly cried as she slammed her hands down on the table and stood up. She marched over to the swordsman, "Even I managed to piece together the details."

She pointed a finger in Zoro's face. "You! Sit there!" she said and pointed at the chair that was back to back to Rei's, "And copy everything that Luffy is doing from now on. Got it? Monkey see, monkey do."

"Who are you calling a monkey?" Zoro snapped.

"Oh! That's me. I'm Monkey D. Luffy and I'm going to be the-", Luffy announced.

"Ahhhh! Rei-chan! I didn't realize you were in here too!"

"Fucking hell," Zoro cursed as he watched the Curly Brow twirl in with a box of pastries in his hand.

"Since Nana-chan had to stay in this dusty library all by herself, I went out to pick up some treats at the legendary Big Mam's bakery as an official welcome to our class. I'm so happy Rei-chan is here to enjoy this too!" Sanji swooned.

"Who the hell brings food to a library, Curly Brow?" Zoro seethed.

"Shut it, marimo," Sanji snapped back, "It's not like you're going to even taste a crumb of it."

"You wanna fight?!" Zoro shouted.

"What are you going to do? Slash me with air?" Sanji taunted.

"Pfffffffffffft!"

They looked over at Marco, who was banging on the table with one hand while holding up his phone with the other. "You guys are hysterical!" he roared, "I'm texting everything to Ace and he's not even believing this is real."

"Oh! You're the guy who left with Ace this morning!" Luffy shouted.

"You are Marco the Phoenix, Third Year," Rei said point blank, "You are part of the Whitebeard Group with Portgas D. Ace and Oyama Thatch."

A serious look came over Marco's face and he nodded at Rei. "Ah and you are Cogan Reia, daughter of Cogan Jeffrey and Cogan Rosa. How's your dad doing?"

"He's good. How's yours?" Rei shot back with a slight coldness to her voice.

"Pops is good. You know, we heard about your situation," Marco said, "And if you need help, all you have to do is ask. Pops is willing to lend a hand."

Rei blinked and she studied him for a moment before speaking. "We can handle it ourselves but please thank Whitebeard for the gesture."

Marco nodded. "Not many people left from his generation and Pops has a soft heart."

"Eh...mind telling us what you guys are talking about?" Nana interjected as she bent over Rei so that she was staring eye to eye with her, albeit upside down.

"Yes, I do," Rei said as she looked down and began to sort through the books she brought over, "Now, Luffy...and anyone else who might be listening...are you ready to study?"

"Yosh," Luffy exclaimed, stretching from Zoro's table to the empty seat opposite Rei in a perfect arch.

"Meh, I might as well too," Nana said as she flopped down in the seat next to Luffy, "Since I'm stuck here for the next three weeks and I absolutely cannot flunk out. Iceberg and Franky are relying on me."

She then looked over at Rei and gave her a nod. "I can still give you that car if you guarantee that I can get high scores and be in the top 10 of our entire year."

"I can," Rei said solemnly.

"OOH! I'll help out too, Nana!" Sanji sang, "No need to give me a car. Getting to know you is reward enough. Tell me everything about yourself. What's your favorite color? Favorite food? What's your type?"

"Who is Iceberg?" Luffy demanded when Sanji took in a breath.

"The president and founder of the Galley-La company. I believe he used to be the mayor of a seaside town," Rei said as she scanned the table of contents of a book to find the correct page.

An impressed look came over Nana's face, "That's right. He's my adopted father. We used to live in Water 7 but then moved here earlier last year when we decided to expand the business."

"Oy, if your dad was a mayor and president of a company, how come you're in the Lottery Class?" Zoro asked brusquely, "Shouldn't you be with the Nobles?"

"I hate Nobles," Nana said, not noticing that at her side, Sanji stiffened, "But more importantly, I have my reasons to be in the Pirate class. Not like I wanted to come. I was happy staying home schooled."

"Okay," Rei interrupted as she pushed an open book towards Luffy, " _Luffy_ , this is page 12 in the history book for the Second Years. We're going to start here. Read the first three chapters and then let me know when you're done."

"Oy," Zoro grumbled from behind her, "I don't have that book. I actually don't have any books."

"Oh for the love of…" Sanji shouted as he practically threw his schoolbag into Zoro's face, "Use mine. Don't waste the time and generosity of Rei-chan!"

Luffy wrinkled his nose and pointed at a word at the top of the page. "Nana, what's this word? There's so many letters."

Nana leaned over and when she saw what Luffy was pointing at, she looked incredulously at Luffy. "Introduction?!"

"Oh, yeah that makes sense," Luffy said with a much too thoughtful nod.

"Hahaha. Oh my god. This is going to be so entertaining. The only thing that would make this even more perfect is if I had popcorn," Marco laughed from behind.

* * *

By the time Rei closed the book and ended her first tutoring session, Luffy and Zoro were sweating like they had just gone through the most intense workout of their life. Marco's stomach was so sore from laughing it was as if he had done a thousand crunches in a span of a few minutes. Only Nana and Sanji seemed to come out of the lesson physically unscathed. Although, there was less pressure for both of them to cram all that information in.

"You do realize, Luffy, that you actually don't have to learn all of this, right?" Nana asked as Rei began returning the books back to the shelves.

"I know," Luffy whined, "But then Rei keeps directing her questions at me and it's so confusing. Sometimes it feels like she was speaking in another language."

"Sanji," Rei said quietly as she looked over at him, "You don't have to sit through all of this either. You and I have the highest marks in our class.."

Nana spun around and looked at the blonde, as if seeing him for the first time. "You do?!"

"Yes," Sanji said and he smiled at Rei, "But Rei-chan is flattering me by putting me in the same league as her. Rei-chan, you have the highest marks of the entire Second Year."

"What's your ranking among the entire Second Year?" Nana demanded.

Sanji was taken aback by the intensity in her voice. "I believe I'm in 6th place."

Then his thoughts went back to the interactions between her and a certain teacher. His eyes widened when he realized why Nana was in the Pirate class by choice.

It wasn't common knowledge but the teachers and staff that handled the Pirate Class specifically were also part of a lottery system except that lottery system was implemented by the country's prison. They were inmates and criminals assigned to stay with a class for three years. For each student that graduated, a year of their sentencing was reduced. For each student that was in the top 10 GPA of the entire year by the end of each term, an additional two years was reduced. Just having Rei in their class meant that she had already reduced Brook Sensei's sentencing by 8 years.

 _Nana-chan is trying to free Franky Sensei,_ Sanji thought.

"Guys, that was great," Marco interrupted. He was draped over the table top and gasping for air, "Ugh. I thought I was going to piss myself when Zoro said that all 19 founders of this country were women named Marie Joy."

Just mentioning it sent him laughing again and he shakily got up to his feet. Then the laughter slowly faded and he stared contemplatively at the library doors. He picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulders. "Now that you guys got a mental workout," he said, "It's time for a physical workout."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sanji asked as Marco pushed open the door.

"Hunting Season," Marco said pointedly and walked through the door, letting it swing shut behind him.

The Second Years hurriedly got their stuff together while Luffy looked curiously around him from his seat. "Huh?"

"Get up, Luffy," Rei said and pulled him up by the elbow, "We've got company."

As she did so, a group of students came into the room. They were all muscular, heavy set teenagers that looked to be at least in their Second Year. Some of them were carrying weapons like baseball bats and kendo sticks.

"You little shits," Sanji muttered, "You were waiting for Marco to leave, weren't you?"

To everyone's surprise, mostly Zoro's, Rei held up an arm in front of the green hair and she narrowed her eyes at the intruders. "If you're trying to collect the bounty on Roronoa Zoro while he doesn't have his swords, you'll need to get past me," she stated.

"What are you doing, Know It All?" Zoro asked incredulously.

"There is no honor to take advantage of the unarmed," she replied without looking back at him, "Don't get the wrong idea. I would do this for any Pirate."

"What is up with you and honor?" Zoro grumbled but with taking a slightly less hostile tone with her than he ever did before.

"Hmph," one of the students scoffed, "We'll be collecting your bounty too, Cogan Reia. Between you, Roronoa Zoro, and 'Black Leg' Sanji, that's at least 80,000 bellis to split among the 20 of us."

"You should've brought more people," Nana quipped as she pulled out the hammer on her toolbelt, "I'm not sure what this whole bounty business is but I'm hurt I wasn't part of your equation."

"Don't worry, Nana-chan! I will protect you with my life," Sanji swore.

"Protect yourself, Prince Charming," Nana snorted, "I'm not a girl that needs to be saved."

Then Nana noticed that one of them was holding up a spiked iron ball with a chain attached to the end of it. Her eyes widened. "Wait! Hold on! How come he gets to carry a weapon like that?!"

"You haven't read through the Orientation Packet, have you?" Rei asked.

"I was saving it for when I run out of toilet paper," Nana shot back, "Why?"

"Rule #42," Sanji said as he lit a fresh cigarette, "Students are allowed to carry blunt force weapons as long as they do not use it against the faculty or the staff."

"What?! What if they kill someone?!" Nana demanded.

"20th Amendment of this country's Constitution as decreed by Nefeltari," Rei recited, "All children are free of any crime until they reach adulthood at the age of 18. Which means, Roronoa Zoro and 'Black Leg' Sanji, you two-"

"Ah, we know," Sanji said, unsurprised by the fact she already knew he and Zoro were not as young as they were registered to be.

"Eh, what's happening?" Luffy asked, "Should we go grab dinner or something? I feel like it's getting late."

"Idiot! It's a fight!" Sanji shouted, "Read the damn room!"

"Ugh, no more reading," Luffy said as he stuck out his tongue in disgust and wound up his arm, "But I'm down for a fight. Gum gum-"

"Twin Talon Grip!"

Before he could even let his fist fly out, two chains shot out from next to him and they wrapped around two kendo sticks that two different MARINEs were holding.

"Eh?!" Luffy turned to look that the two chains were from Rei and they were coming from underneath her shirt.

"Oy! Did you always have that on you?!" Zoro asked as she pulled back the chains, sending the kendo sticks flying his way.

He caught them, one in each hand, and a smirk grew on his face as the blood began to drain from some of their attackers' faces. "Thanks, Know It All."

"Again, think nothing of it," Rei said, "If you guys can, try not to damage any of the books."

"You should worry about your own safety! Get them!" the leader of the group cried and the students started to charge at them.

"Gum Gum Gatling!" Luffy roared as he let both fists fly out, sending the entire group of students flying into the back of the room. They slammed up against the bookshelves and became buried underneath the entire Archeology section of the library.

Zoro, Sanji, and Nana gaped at Luffy and he grinned at them. "Shishishishishi. I ate the Gum Gum Fruit. I'm a rubber man."

"Oh yeah, he did pull a stunt like that in the cafeteria this morning," Zoro mumbled to no one in particular.

"I wasn't here for lunch," Nana said.

"I was out in the courtyard where you got lost in, remember, you shitty swordsman?" Sanji added.

"I eat at my desk," Rei said as she put on her backpack, "But I already knew that. You're the reason why Uncle Shanks now always carries Devil Fruits in a double locked case."

With that she started for the door.

"It's not like I broke into his case. He left the case wide open," Luffy grumbled. Then his eyes lit up and he ran after her, "Oy! Rei. Do you know when's the next time Shanks is in town?"

"The Know It All is related to the famous Devil Fruit hunter?" Zoro asked and Sanji shook his head in defeat.

"Of course you wouldn't know anything even though we spent an entire year with her already," Sanji muttered and then he realized something, "Luffy still hasn't even asked me my name yet. What a rude bastard."

"So is 'Black Leg' really your last name?" Nana asked with a curious look at Sanji, "What country are you from?"

"This one, Nana-chan," Sanji said, "And it's the name I'm registered as."

"What kind of bullshit is that?" Zoro scoffed.

Sanji pulled out his student ID card from his pocket. He held out for both Nana and Zoro to see.

"Woo," Nana whistled, "It really does say 'Last Name: Black Leg'. God. If I knew I could do that, I would've registered myself as the Almighty Nana." She grinned at the two and slung her backpack over her shoulder. "Well, you guys sure know how to show a girl a good time. Can't wait to see what fuckery comes out tomorrow."

She gave Sanji a wink and then headed for the exit.

"Ah! Nana-chan, let me walk you home!" Sanji called out as he ran after her.

"Naw. I'm good," Nana replied without turning back to him.

Zoro stood by himself in the library. Then he realized he was still holding onto the two kendo sticks that the Know It All had thrown at him. The weight was off for both of them and neither of it was as well made as the three he had carefully selected but it would do for now. What really threw him off though was the Know It All herself. _I thought she hated me,_ he thought, _So what the hell is her deal?_

* * *

"Luffy," Rei asked as they walked down the front path towards the gate, "Do you need help getting home?"

Luffy put his hand on his straw hat and he looked up at the sky. "Oh yeah," he said as he tried to remember where he lived, "I remember Ace said I just needed to take the subway to Whiskey Peak Station."

"That's on the Grand Line," Nana shouted as she came running over to them, "I'm actually taking that line. I get off a couple stops before you, at the Enies Lobby Station. We can ride together."

"Really?" Luffy said excitedly, "Great!"

"Where do you live, Rei-chan?" Sanji asked. He only had to power walk in order to catch up with them.

"I live past the Red Line. It's not the same way as Luffy and Nana," Rei said. Only Sanji noticed she had not mentioned a specific station.

"I'm heading to the Baratie on the Blue Line, east side," Sanji replied, "It's in the same direction as the subway stop for the Red Line. I can walk part of the way with you, Rei-chan."

Rei said nothing as she turned right at the gate. She paused for a moment before turning and bowing towards Nana and Luffy. "I wish you a good night and safe travels."

Nana bursted into laughter, "We're going home. Not sailing off into the sunset. Don't have to be so formal, Nerd."

"Oh," was all Rei could say.

Rei and Sanji walked in silence for a little while. He waited a couple of blocks before speaking to her. He was about to touch on a delicate topic that he knew she wouldn't want to discuss in public. "Rei-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Are you in need of some money?"

Rei froze and she looked at Sanji, who smiled kindly back at her. "Back at the library," he said, "Marco mentioned the Whitebeard Group. They are loan sharks and run the pawn shops in this city."

"I'm okay, Sanji. Thank you for your concern," Rei said stiffly as she walked forward and past him.

"If you want, I can ask Old Man Zeff to find a spot for you at the Baratie," Sanji offered, as he quickly caught up to her.

"I can't cook and I don't think I have the disposition to be a waitress," Rei said.

"You could do our books," Sanji suggested, "Lord knows Old Man Zeff could use some help with the accounting and inventory in that place."

That made Rei stop in her step but this time for an entirely different reason. "Really?" she asked, "Why would you do that for me?"

"Because we're classmates," Sanji said as he took out a cigarette and lit it, "And I want to help you."

"I can't work Fridays. Any other day is fine. I can even work mornings before school starts, if needed, but not Fridays," Rei hurriedly said, losing her usual composed cadence.

"That's fine, Rei-chan," Sanji replied, "I'm sure you and Old Man Zeff can figure out a reasonable schedule." He let out a stream of smoke and he smiled warmly at her. "Would you like to come with me to the Baratie now and speak to Old Man Zeff?"

Rei nodded. "I would appreciate it. I am actually in need of employment as I had just been recently terminated," she said.

"Who would fire you?! For what?" Sanji demanded, angered on her behalf.

"I walked out of my shift without warning," Rei replied.

It didn't take long for Sanji to put two and two together. "You got out of work to help Luffy today."

"I promised my Uncle I would look out for him. It would be dishonorable to go back on my word," Rei said. Then she let out a little smile at him, "Thank you, Sanji. I will repay you in some way. If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask me. Even if it relates to your family."

Sanji stiffened and he looked at her.

"Vinsmoke Sanji, third heir to the Vinsmoke Enterprise. That's you," Rei stated.

"Shit. Rei-chan. I knew you were smart but not that smart. How long have you known?" Sanji asked.

"Since last year," Rei said, "Although, it was quite clever of you to change your age so that you enrolled two years after your siblings graduated from the Elite Class to avoid anyone recognizing you."

"Not clever enough, apparently," Sanji huffed. "How did you know?"

"Your father's business has dealings in the underworld," Rei said, "And my father-"

"Ah, I know who your father is," Sanji interrupted, "Former Lieutenant of Gol D. Roger's mafia group."

Rei lowered her head and looked at her feet. "Thank you," she said softly and Sanji tilted his head in confusion.

"For what?"

"For keeping that information to yourself," Rei replied.

"Like I said, Rei-chan," Sanji said and he put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm just looking out for a fellow classmate."


	6. I'm Back

**Ch 5 - "I'm back!"**

 **Luffy**

"I'm back!" Luffy shouted as he dropped his bookbag by the front door. The top of it flipped open and the contents spilled out revealing nothing more than half eaten bags of chips, candy wrappers, and bottles of soda. He sat down on the floor and began to pull off his leather shoes and socks. He held up his exposed left foot and wiggled his toes in the air, "Ah! I wish they'd let me wear sandals to school. Shoes are so constricting!"

"Welcome back! How was your first day, Luffy? Did you make any new friends?"

Luffy glanced over his shoulder, while kicking off his remaining shoe, and he grinned at the dark green haired woman, who was leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen. She had her hands tucked in her apron pockets. The apron was a burnt yellow and it matched the handkerchief she tied around her head. It was her signature handkerchief, a token of love from someone very important to her.

"Shishishishi," Luffy laughed and he jumped up into the air victoriously, "Makino! I think I found my pirate crew! There's this guy named Zoro and this girl named Nami and this boy named Usopp and this raccoon- AH! NO! Reindeer!- named Chopper and-"

Makino laughed and held up her hands in defeat. "Whoa! Whoa! Slow down, Luffy! Go take a seat in the living room. I made some tea and snacks for us. You can tell me about it in there."

"Yay! Snacks!" Luffy cried and ran into the living room with his arms stuck in the air like he was riding a rollercoaster. He flopped himself onto the big leather couch and buried his face in a bright red throw pillow, "Ah! So soft."

He turned around so that he was belly-up and he looked up at the big ceiling fan that was spinning overhead. "Ah, what a nice apartment. I didn't think they made apartments this big," he said as he sat up and looked around at the two bedroom, "City life isn't as bad as Gramps made it out to be."

"It was very generous of General Garp to let me come along with you," Makino said as she carried a tray in from the kitchen and set it down in front of the coffee table that faced a giant plasma screen TV.

She didn't think it was possible but Luffy's smile got even a little bigger. "It was also very generous of _Shanks_ to let us take his apartment," he grinned, "Otherwise we'd be stuck in that shabby place Gramps got us."

A faint blush came to Makino's cheeks and she averted her eyes as she casually moved Luffy's feet off the couch so she can sit down. "Yes, it was very generous of him too," she said softly, "And the place General Garp got us wasn't shabby...It was 'character building'."

"Only Gramps would think that," Luffy said and then he spotted the plate of mini hotdogs Makino had brought in. She had cut them so they all looked like mini octopi, "AHHH! Meat!"

Within two seconds, they were all stuffed into his mouth and Makino laughed. "So," she said as she crossed her legs and looked lovingly at the boy, "Tell me again who you met today?"

* * *

 **Zoro**

"I'm back!" Zoro called to no one in particular. He leaned his two new kendo sticks along the wall before untying his shoes and then placing them right at the entry step where they belonged. Then he went straight to the back of his studio apartment where a tower of dumbbells stood in between an elliptical machine and pull up bar. There was no other furniture besides a small end table with a water heater on it. The kitchen looked basically untouched with only boxes of instant ramen and green tea laying on the counter.

The apartment was sterile and cold. The tiles were white. The blinds were white. The kitchen cabinets and countertops were white. Even the sheathed katana that was well-preserved in a glass case at the corner of the room was white.

As Zoro walked towards his exercise equipment, his bare foot kicked a cracked smartphone on the floor. It slid across the tiled floor. "Ah," he grunted and he picked it up. His thumb grazed the top and the phone came to life. He always forgot to bring this device with him but there was only one person who knew his number and he wasn't one of them.

 _1 new voice message._

He steeled his nerves and brought his phone to his ear.

"Hello, Zoro-kun-"

"Hello, Sensei," Zoro automatically replied even though he was told countless times that this was a one way conversation.

"I hope your first day back went well. It was good being able to train you again during your break. Your kohais were very excited to see you come back. I was very pleased that you've progressed even more since you've left for the city. I look forward to hearing the good news on your upcoming Kendo Tournament."

There was a pause and then Zoro heard what he was dreading to hear.

"Kuina would be so proud of you."

 _Click._

"Idiot," Zoro grunted as he hung up immediately and let the phone drop down to the ground, not caring if it shattered into a million pieces, "She wouldn't be proud of me. She'd be furious she wasn't my opponent."

* * *

 **Nami**

Nami quietly scaled up the fire escape and crawled through the window of her room, holding her backpack preciously at her front as she did so. She made no noise even though the sounds of police sirens, babies crying, and people yelling at each other would have easily hidden any sound she could've made. When she got in, she quickly shut the window, making sure to lock it, closed her drapes, and dumped the contents of her bag onto her bed.

A mound of wallets, jewelry, and watches piled up onto her orange blanket and Nami rubbed her hands with glee. _Jackpot! I knew getting into that school would be majorly profitable._

 _Knock. Knock._

"Nami! Are you home?!"

"EEEK!" Nami squeaked as she quickly pulled out the locked metal box she kept under her bed. She quickly turned the dial for the combination, flipped the lid open and pushed all of the fruits of her labor into it with one quick sweep of her arm. She quickly locked it up again and shoved it under her bed.

She flew to her door and flipped the lock the other way. "AH! Sorry, Nojiko! I didn't realize the door was locked," Nami shouted as she pulled the door open and flashed an innocent smile at her sister, "I'm back!"

The blue haired girl raised an eyebrow before hitting the top of Nami's head hard with the top of the wooden spoon. "Who do you think you're fooling, Nami?!" she lectured, "Hand it over."

"What?"

"You know what," Nojiko pressed.

Nami pulled out a wallet that was tucked between her bra and she hesitantly presented it to Nojiko. "Fine," she grumbled.

Nojiko flipped open the billfold and read the ID. "Make sure this Wapol kid gets his money back tomorrow morning, got it, Nami?"

"Fine," Nami said again, pretending to be disgruntled by it. It was a small sacrifice to pay but Nami was willing to do it. Her sister may have been onto her thieving ways but she didn't have to know the extent of it.

"I know what you're trying to do," Nojiko said and Nami stiffened.

"You do?" Nami asked guiltily.

"Yes," Nojiko said as she wrapped her arms around Nami and gave her a big hug, "You're just trying to help but how many times do I have to tell you, Nami? Let me handle it. You just worry about studying."

 _Nojiko is even thinner than before,_ Nami couldn't help but think as she buried her face in her sister's chest, _She's working overtime and not eating in between jobs, isn't she?_

"I'll free us," Nami said as she clenched her fists that were pressed against her sister's back, "Believe me, Nojiko, once I save up enough money, I'll pay off Arlong and then we can get the hell out of this place."

"Nami!" Nojiko scolded, "What did I just say? Let me worry about it. Focus on school!"

"But-"

"Don't worry!" Nojiko said, "I got a new job that pays even more! We'll get the 100 million bellis in no time! Although, now that I found a full time job, it means I can't come home in between shifts to make you dinner..."

"What's your new job?" Nami asked.

"I'm going to be the new manager at Mariejois Bank! I start tomorrow," Nojiko stated proudly and Nami felt her blood run cold.

* * *

 **Usopp**

"I'm back!" Usopp roared victoriously as he entered into the pediatric ward of the city's hospital like a gladiator making his way into a packed coliseum. Letting the wind from the sliding glass door create a fan effect on his hair, "The legendary hero has returned!"

The children all sat up from their sick beds with their eyes gleaming with excitement as the nurses all smiled and left the room, giving Usopp a small nod as they passed.

"Usopp-sama!" a little bald headed boy cried, "How did it go? Did you get into any fights at school?! Are you now a pirate?!"

Usopp jumped up and stood on top of a lounging chair. He pointed up towards the ceiling. "Today, your hero has not only succeeded on becoming a pirate but he also clashed with a swordsman and fought with a monster reindeer."

"Woooooooo," the children gasped in awe.

A doctor passing by the ward stared in disbelief and he was about to go stop the young man for causing such a scene when he was grabbed back by one of the nurses. "Please stop, Hendricks Sensei," she pleaded, "The children always look forward to Usopp-kun's visits. It's the best part of their day."

"Usopp?" the doctor asked.

An older nurse hugged her clipboard to her chest and looked over at him. "You're new, aren't you?"

"Yes," the doctor said.

The nurse nodded over at Usopp, who was pretend fighting with an unused IV stand. "That boy's mother was a patient in this hospital for five long years. Every day he came to see her and he would tell her about his day. As exaggerated as it was, it would always make his mother laugh. She died last year but he still continues to come," she then pointed at the children, "Because the children started listening to his stories and it started to brighten up their day too."

"Ah, am I late? Is Usopp-san back already?"

The doctor and nurses turned to see a frail girl with short blonde hair. She was being pushed in a wheelchair by a slim man with slicked black hair and perfectly circled glasses.

The older nurse smiled and nodded at her. "Yes, Kaya-sama but he just got here so you haven't missed much."

"Oh good!" the girl breathed and nodded up at the man, "Klahadore, please, let's go listen!"

He frowned disapprovingly. "Those stories are not good for you, Kaya-sama. As your protector, I do not think-"

"AH! KAYA!" Usopp cried excitedly as he spotted Kaya through the automatic sliding glass door, "Come in! I was just telling them about this big fight that broke out during lunch time and how I took down thirty Second Years all by myself!"

Kaya's eyes widened and she started to roll her wheelchair forward herself, without the help of Klahadore, not noticing his eyes narrowing and glaring into the back of her head.

* * *

 **Sanji**

Sanji stubbed out his cigarette in the alleyway behind the Baratie, nodding to a well-dressed group of businessmen, who had cut through the alley to get to the entrance of the world renowned restaurant. Rei-chan had just went home and it seemed the meeting with the geezer went okay. However, despite having just saying goodbye to her, Rei-chan was not the one on the cook's mind. It was the new girl, Nana.

She stood out even in a room filled with people who naturally stuck out. She had more balls than the average man but was also more beautiful than the average lady. He liked her, that was for sure. _Now how do I should I woo her tomorrow?,_ he thought to himself, _Courtyard? No. Violet-chan might see and get jealous...Although, she's going to see anyways. Hope she doesn't stab me again. Hrmmm._

"I need 2 specials, 4 cats in a bag, 3 weed whackers, and 4 scorched bulls!"

The racket in the kitchen plus the boisterous voice of Carne, one of the cooks, shut Sanji off from his thoughts and his ear perked up.

"Got it! 2 specials, 3 cats-" another cook, Patty, shouted and Sanji had to mentally restrain himself from kicking down the door.

"NO! 4 cats!"

"Got it. 2 specials, 4 cats, 3 weeds, and 3 bulls."

"No! 4 bull-"

"Oy! You morons!" Sanji roared, unable to hold in his annoyance. He stormed into the kitchen of the Baratie with his hands stuffed deep in his pockets, "How hard is it? 2 Steak Frites, 4 Veau en Surprise, 3 Chef's Salads, and 4 Creme Brûlées!"

"Don't take that tone with us!" Patty snapped as he pointed at Sanji with a large cleaver, "If you're back from school already then hurry up and start prepping the mirepoix, you ungrateful little shit! How long have you been standing out there? Your shift started an hour ago!"

"Shut up! I'm back now, aren't I?!" Sanji retorted. He paused and then looked back over his shoulder in the alleyway. He spotted a homeless man huddled in a corner and he quickly grabbed a plate of chicken that Patty had just finished garnishing.

"Oy!" Patty protested but Sanji ignored him as he set the plate down in front of the dirty hobo, who greedily ate it up with his bare hands.

"Thank you...Thank you so much!" he sobbed in between mouthfuls.

"Don't mention it," Sanji grumbled with a newly lit cigarette between his lips as he waited for the man to finish his warm meal, "I've been in your shoes before."

* * *

 **Chopper**

"Doctorine! I'm back!" Chopper squealed as he pranced into the private clinic of Kureha Sensei, international doctor for the rich, only to have him unceremoniously kicked back out.

"You're late!" the white haired woman shouted and glared down at her unofficial assistant. She held up her hand and began to rub her fingers together, "We have a patient coming in any minute now. Very VIP if you know what I mean."

"Oh, okay," Chopper said as he leapt to his feet and ran into the clinic. He morphed into his four legged reindeer form and sat down diligently next to Kureha's desk.

Kureha smirked and followed him back into her office. She sank down in a plush leather chair and she winked at Chopper. "And remember, just observe but don't say a word, alright? For all they know, you're just my pet."

"Okay," Chopper said.

"Idiot! That's a word!" Kureha scolded and smacked him in the back of the head.

* * *

 **Nana**

"I'm back!" Nana announced as she dragged her book bag across a large office in one hand and a heavy hammer in the other. She sank into one of two leather office chairs that was facing a desk and a man reading a newspaper behind it. Nana rested her feet against said desk and reached over to her side to scratch a brown and white mastiff behind the ears. "Guess what? Apparently I _can_ bring my hammer to school! Isn't that awesome?! Maybe I'll test my new glove out too. What do you think, Icy?"

The corner of the paper lowered to reveal an unamused eyebrow raise from her legal guardian and boss, Iceberg, the President of Galley-La. "How much trouble did you get into today?"

Nana threw her hands up in the air. "Why do you automatically assume I got into trouble already?" she asked exasperatedly.

"Then why were you late? Did you join a club?"

Nana winced and she guiltily averted her eyes. "No," she said.

The paper was now set down fully on the table with Iceberg giving Nana his full attention. "Did a teacher ask you to stay late?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

She mumbled something and Iceberg folded his hands on his desk. "If you did it, then own it, Mizu Nana," he lectured and Nana's head snapped up.

She clenched her fists in her lap. "I'm stuck studying after hours in the library for the next three weeks because I caused a disturbance, I cursed, and some other bullshit reason," she grumbled, "Oh! And I have to clean the fucking toilets afterwards too."

"Ah," Iceberg said as he reached over to pet a mouse that was sticking out of his jacket pocket, "Is that all?"

Nana tilted her head to the side. "Did you think I would do worse?"

"Yes."

Nana put a hand to her chest. "Wow. I'm flattered," she said.

"HOLD IT!" Paulie came storming into the room and he slammed his hands down on Iceberg's table. Clearly he had been listening by the door the entire time. "What do you mean, is that all, Iceberg-san?! This is only the first day of school and Nana's already scrubbing toilets."

"Not yet! I still have three weeks," Nana shot back, "And butt out of my business, Paulie, or else I'll scrub the toilets here with your face! Iceberg is fine with what happened so stop making things worse!"

Iceberg frowned. "Nana!"

Nana winced again. _Okay,_ now _he's angry,_ she thought as she looked guiltily back across the desk. "Yes, Icy?"

"I may be fine but that is because you have received your punishment already," Iceberg said, "But remember that you are still an employee of the Galley La company. Your actions reflects on us and on me. Do you understand that that means?"

"Yes," Nana mumbled.

"Have you forgotten what you told me?"

"No…"

"What did you say?" Iceberg prodded.

"I said I was only doing it to represent Galley La and I would stay in school as long as you can make some good business connections through it," she said, "And…"

Her voice cracked at the last part and a sad look crossed her face.

"And…?"

"And to help free Franky," she finished.

"Did you mean what you said?"

"Yes…"

"Then own it," Iceberg said.

"Yes, Icy."

Iceberg folded his hands together and rested his chin on top of it. "Now, tell me. Did you make any friends? Did they tell you what are some fun things to do in the city? Are there any school festivals coming up that I can attend-"

"You just want to use me to get the inside scoop on where to have fun!" Nana shouted, pointing an accusing finger at her guardian.

* * *

 **Rei**

"I'm-"

"REIIIIIIIIIA!"

Before Rei could even finish announcing her return, she was enveloped into a big, burly hug from her dad. Cogan Jeffery was a bear of a man that stood 7 feet tall and almost just as wide. His unruly black hair was very different than the tidy red one of his daughter.

"...back," Rei finished, although her last word was muffled.

When he finally let go of her, he sniffled. "I was so worried about you! I called your work and they said you just ran off! I thought something happened and I wanted to go look for you but-"

"Don't!" Rei lectured and shot a worried look at the black tracking device strapped to her father's ankle, "You know you can't leave the house."

"I know," Jeffrey said dejectedly, "But where were you?!"

"I had to tutor Luffy," Rei explained.

Immediately, Jeffrey's face turned happy and excited. "AH! That Luffy boy started this year? HA! We should give Shanks-boy a call and let him know!"

Suddenly a thought struck Rei and she bowed her head at her father. "I should have called to tell you. Sorry, dad. I didn't follow social protocol and caused you to worry about me."

"It's fine. You're safe," Jeffrey said and then realized they were still standing in the doorway in their cramped studio, "Are you hungry? I could make dinner and you can tell me-"

"Actually, I brought home dinner," Rei said and lifted the bag of takeout that Chef Zeff was nice enough to offer her, "I got this from-"

"My daughter is so thoughtful!" Jeffrey wailed as he enveloped her in another hug, "Oh! Your mother will be so proud of you when she hears about this!"

"For bringing home dinner?" Rei deadpanned.

* * *

 **Franky, Robin, and Brook**

Although Franky, Robin, and Brook were all in different parts of the school, they were all doing the exact same thing. Once the last student left the campus and the golden gate was shut for the day, they were ushered into a private elevator that was only accessible by a key. There were four of these elevators on the east, west, north, and south side of the school. Those elevators only went down to the lower levels and did not go up past the first floor.

Once they got off on their designated floor, their pre-approved personal belongings were confiscated. They walked through a metal detector and was inspected by not one but five guards. Afterwards, a ball and chain made out of Sea Prism Stone was cuffed to their feet and they dragged it behind them as they made their way into their cell.

Once the metal bars slammed shut, they were greeted by their parole officer, who looked even less thrilled than them to be there, as if they were on the opposite side of the cell. All the parole officers started their routine questioning the same way.

"Welcome back."

All three of them sat at the edge of their cot and thought similar things.

 _76 more years,_ Robin thought.

 _85 super more years unless the brat can lessen my sentencing,_ Franky thought.

 _11 more years,_ Brook thought.


	7. A Pirate Crew is Formed

**Ch 6 - A Pirate Crew is Formed**

"Wait! Slow down. Luffy! Tell the Know It All to go back to the beginning!"

"Wait. Slow down. Luffy. Tell the Know It All, go back to the beginning," Luffy mumbled monotonously as he drew circles on the table with his finger. When Luffy finally understood that _he_ didn't actually have to learn anything, he just became a talking parrot and just repeated everything Zoro wanted to say to Rei.

It was their third studying session. After the first day of Hunting Season, they had made it clear to the others that they were not to be taken lightly. There was no other disturbances after that. It was only them in the library as Marco evidently only had a one day library sentencing.

Rei whirled in her seat, breaking this charade, and blinked back at the back of Zoro's head, taking a moment to realize that she did hear him correctly. "That...is the beginning. I went all the way back to when this country first started. I can't go farther than that," she said, staring at him in slight awe of how little information he retained.

"NO! I'm not that big of an idiot," Zoro snarled as he whipped around in his own seat, meeting Rei nose to nose and glaring into her incredulous eyes, "To the beginning of what you just said. The top of your sentence."

"Oh," Rei said and swiftly went back to facing front, "Well, 'Luffy', what I said was that the prefectures in this country-"

"There! Right there!" Zoro snapped.

"There...right there," Luffy grumbled.

"What do you mean by-"

"What do you mean by…"

"Shut up, Luffy!"

"Shut up, Luffy."

"Ugh!" Zoro said as his hands tensed into a claw shape as he tried to decide who to strangle, Luffy or the Know It All.

"Ugh…"

Rei tilted her head to the side. "Do you not know what a prefecture is?" she asked without looking back at Zoro.

"No, I don't," Zoro said flatly.

"No, I d-"

"You don't need to repeat him anymore, Luffy," Rei said, equally fed up with this double talk. Then to the surprise of everyone, she got up from her seat, grabbed a notebook and pen from her bag, and made her way to sit directly across from Zoro.

She opened her notebook and quickly drew an outline of the country before divvying it up into the prefectures and counties from memory. "Think of a prefecture as place that is smaller than a country but bigger than a city."

"Like an island?"

"Sure," Rei said as she marked up the map for emphasis, "Now all these little islands used to be ruled by different kings."

There was silence and Rei looked up from her drawing to see Zoro's arm folded across his chest and he was studying it intently. He noticed her pause and his eyes met hers. "What? Go on! I'm listening!"

"There were 20 of them," Rei said dubiously at first. He couldn't actually be taking her seriously. Could he?

"20," Zoro repeated. A look came over his face that Rei had never seen before. He was alert and at attention. Not only that, he wasn't even scowling. Rei did not know what to make of it so she decided to focus on the lesson instead of the student.

"Then one day," Rei continued and stared down at her drawing, "The kings decided to unite all the little islands into one big island, which is what this country is today. Then they all moved to this city, Mariejois, called it the capital, and established themselves as the Founding Fathers."

"Wait! Hold it!" Zoro shouted and Sanji snorted from his table as he cut a slice of cake for Nana to enjoy. The mechanic, herself, was busying reading over the notes that Sanji had dutifully compiled for her during class.

"I knew he wouldn't understand any of this," the cook scoffed under his breath, "No matter how simple Rei-chan makes it."

Zoro pointed a finger at the map. "You said 20 kings," he demanded, "But there are only 19 recognized Founding Fathers. So who is missing and why?!"

Both Sanji and Nana's eyes grew wider than frisbees and Sanji almost dropped the knife he was.

"Dear god…" Sanji breathed.

"It understood" Nana finished, matching the cook's awestruck tone, "Somebody slap me and prove this isn't a dream."

 _Thwack! Bang!_

Sanji reached over and smacked Luffy on the back of the head, making it fall forward and knock hard against the top of the desk.

"OW!" Luffy whined, "What the hell was that for, Bento Brow?!"

"It's real, Nana-chan," Sanji said smoothly and then he glared at Luffy, "You bastard. If you're going to keep trying to steal my bento boxes during lunch every day, at least have the courtesy to learn my name! It's-"

"Shut up, Bento Brow!" Zoro snapped, "I can't hear the Know It All with your yammering."

"Dear god…" Sanji breathed.

"It _wants_ to learn," Nana finished.

"You're making me sound like an animal!" Zoro seethed. Then he glared at the Know It All, "Well? Go on!"

Rei paused for just a moment and then returned to the task at hand. "We do only recognize 19 of them as the official Founding Fathers," Rei said, "Because one of them, King Nefeltari Ammon, decided that he would continue to live on his island so that he could continue to watch over his people."

Zoro scratched his chin. "And that Nefetata guy-"

"Nefeltari," Rei corrected.

"Whatever. He said he was the one who established that all children are free of any criminal punishment," Zoro said.

Now it was Rei's turn to widen her eyes and she sat up a little straighter. "That's right. It's the last Amendment. Every king put in a line in this country's constitution and that was King Nefetlari's."

"I see," Zoro said and he leaned back in his chair, "That's interesting. Then what did the other kings put in then?"

Rei blinked back at him. For a moment, just for a moment, her expression softened and in took Zoro by surprise. He had never seen her look that way before. He had touched on a subject she cared about. "Do you find law interesting?" she asked.

"What?!" Zoro sat up in his chair. He could feel his blood boil and the pulsing of the tendon along his neck. _Where the hell did that come from?_

He glared at the red head. "Why the hell would I care about that guy? Why are you even bringing him up in the first place? Shouldn't you be teaching instead of gossiping, Know It All?"

Just like that, her expression went back to the blank look she always gave him. She snapped her notebook shut, clutched it to her chest, and returned to her original seat with a disappointed sigh.

"Moments over," Sanji said as Nana returned to reading his notes.

"Great while it lasted," Nana added.

* * *

"Ugh, this is so boring," Luffy complained as he trudged off to the subway station with Nana and Zoro, "Zoro! Just take the test already so you can join my pirate crew!"

"Idiot! He'll fail if he takes it now," Nana scoffed as she casually swung her hammer back and forth while she walked. She glanced over her shoulder and caught the glare coming from Zoro, "Oh, don't give me that look, you meathead. I didn't say anything that wasn't true! By the way, why the hell are you walking with us? Do you take this way home?!"

Zoro shrugged. "It seems familiar."

"Does it?!" Nana snapped. Then she turned and pointed her hammer at Luffy. "And you! Why are you focusing on Zoro? Isn't there anyone else you want on your crew or did you just plan on being a team of two? I mean, I think if you asked the nerd, she'd probably say yes. For some reason she has a hard time turning you down."

Luffy grinned. "Oh! Nana, why don't you-"

"Pass," Nana said immediately, "As much fun as it sounds, I'm actually at school for a purpose. I can't risk getting into trouble. Anybody else you want to ask?"

"Ah! Yeah! I also want to ask Nami and Usopp and Chopper! They're in my class. Oh!" Luffy suddenly shouted and pointed a finger ahead, "And they're right over there!"

"Eh?"

The two upperclassmen looked to where he was pointing and saw Nami, Usopp, and Chopper clustered together at the end of the street. The trio were surrounded by a group of MARINEs.

"First Years. Fresh meat," one of them sneered, "Doubtful any of you guys are going to get a rise in your bounty so you might as well bow out now."

"Usopp! Chopper! Get them!" Nami shouted as she ducked behind the two and pushed them forward.

"W-w-w-w-w-wait a second!" Usopp stammered, "Why do we have to fight? Can't we just talk it out?"

"Yeah. Let's talk things through!" Chopper called out as he tried to hide his head behind Usopp, with his body still very much exposed.

"Talk is cheap. Even your starting bounties is worth more than that," a MARINE shouted and lunged at them with a baseball bat held over his head, "Now shut up and be hunted!"

"AHHHHHH! That doesn't even make sense!" Usopp screamed as he covered his head with his arms.

"Arm Point!"

"Gum Gum Pistol!"

"Hammerang!"

"Two Sword Style: Taka Nami!"

A flurry of bodies were sent flying through the air and they scattered around the block. The MARINEs did not know what hit them and frankly, neither did their attackers.

"Luffy?! What are you doing here?!" Chopper cried.

"What the hell is that?!" Nana cried as she pointed at the buffed up Chopper with his biceps bigger than watermelons.

"Did you just use _two_ swords to attack them?" Luffy shouted with his eyes gleaming at Zoro, "I thought one was just a back up!"

"Oy! Watch where you're throwing that hammer, Nana," Zoro snapped, "You almost whacked me with it. And how the hell did it fly back?!"

"That's not the point, guys," Nami called out, grabbing everyone's attention, as she went from body to body to search their bags and pockets, "Come help me grab their stuff."

"You're looting them?!" Nana asked incredulously.

"Shishishishishi," Luffy laughed as an unconscious MARINE slid off the branch of the tree that he was draped over, "Glad you guys are okay."

"Yeah. Thanks for doing whatever it is that you did," Nami said nonchalantly as she threw a couple of wallets into her bag.

"Oh my god! I'm saved! I'm alive!" Usopp cried with relief as he felt around his body to make sure everything was intact, especially his personal belongings. Then he glared at Nami, "Oy! Nami! Why the hell were you hiding behind us?!"

"Yeah!" Chopper shouted indignantly.

"So you're Nami," Nana said thoughtfully and then pointed a metallic gloved finger at the long nose boy and the animal, "So which one of you is Usopp and which one of you is Chopper?"

The animal immediately turned into his normal form. "I'm Chopper and that guy is Usopp! We're-"

"In the same class as Luffy. Yeah. He already told us," Nana interrupted and she bent down so they were eye level. She whipped out a business card and gave him a wink, "Mizu Nana. Top mechanic for Galley-La. Come to me for your automotive needs."

"Er...I can't drive and I don't own a car...but...thank you?" Chopper said while tentatively taking the card out of her hand.

Nana grinned. "So what are you? Some sort of transforming robot?"

"I'm not a robot! I'm a reindeer!" Chopper huffed, "I just ate the Human Human fruit. That's all."

"Amazing!" Nana breathed, "So what are you doing being in a school?"

"I'm studying to be a doctor," Chopper said proudly and Nana grinned.

"You must be really smart then," she said and Chopper wriggled in delight, which made Nana laugh.

"Complimenting me like that won't make me happy, you jerk!"

"You know, Luffy, it may not be a bad idea recruiting Rei and Chopper. That way you'll be friends with a future genius lawyer and a genius doctor," Nana quipped as she stood up and looked back at Luffy. However, her eyes caught the puzzled look on Zoro's face, "What? What did I say?"

"The Know It All wants to be a lawyer?" the swordsman asked, "Since when?"

"Yeah," Nana said, "She reads law books at her desk all the damn day. I'm surprised you haven't noticed it! Oh wait..No...Look who I'm talking to. You wouldn't know to stop even if you were to walk into a stop sign."

Then it hit the swordsman. "OH! She wasn't talking about Law she was talking about law!" he yelled.

"Oh my god, _now_ he gets it?!" Nana cried as she slapped a palm to her face.

"Eh? What's going on?" Usopp and Chopper asked as they looked between the two.

"Nothing," Nana said and she nodded at Luffy, who was grinning from ear to ear, "I think Luffy has something he wants to say."

"Huh?" They all turned to the rubber man who punched his fists in the air.

"Nami! Usopp! Chopper! Join my pirate crew!"

"What?!" Usopp and Chopper shouted in surprise.

"Ugh. Fine."

Usopp and Chopper's jaw dropped as they looked at Nami, who was busy taking off a gold watch from someone's limp wrist. "I thought you rejected Luffy already," Usopp said.

"I did," Nami said, "But I need some protection if people like these idiots come for me. Might as well have you idiots do all the fighting for me."

"Why does it feel like we're joining _her_ pirate crew and not Luffy's?" Chopper whispered to Usopp.

"Because girls are scary," Usopp whispered back, "Especially the ones in high school."

"Yosh," Luffy cheered, "Now I got Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Bento Brow, Rei, and Nana!"

"Wait, what?!" Nana and Zoro snapped.

"I already told you no," Nana said.

"And you haven't held up your part of the deal yet!" Zoro seethed.

Nana balked at the swordsman. "So are you saying you would honor the deal if you passed?"

Zoro scowled. "I'm a man of my word. Did you think I wasn't going to?"

"Yep. Thought you would leave Luffy high and dry," Nana said bluntly.

"Of course you'd think that," Zoro scoffed, "You spend all your time with the Know It All and Curly Brow."

"You think my opinion is formed from what they say?" Nana asked.

"Then what the hell makes you think I wouldn't join Luffy's pirate crew? After all he's done for me, it would pretty shitty of me to turn my back on him."

Usopp raised an eyebrow and he squinted at Zoro. "Are you saying you'll join?"

"Why the hell not?" Zoro snapped and then his eyes widened when he realized what he had said.

"YAHOOOOOOO!" Luffy cheered as he wrapped his arms around and around the entire group and brought them all into a tight group hug, "YES! My pirate crew has formed! Welcome to the Lion! Gun! Meat! Crew!"

"Why are you enunciating every word in the name?!" Nana snapped.

"What kind of name is that?!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Okay then. Bird! Cloud! Street Sign!"

"Don't just name whatever it is that caught your eye!" Usopp seethed.

"No name! WE HAVE NO NAME!" Nami pleaded, "Luffy. Just be happy that you have a crew and leave it at that!"

"Okay," Luffy grinned as he released his hold, "Now let's go have some fun!"

"Can't. I have to get back to work," Nana said.

"Me too. Doctorine is waiting for me," Chopper added.

"I got 100 of my men waiting for me," Usopp said and pointed his nose up haughtily.

"I gotta drop off all my loot," Nami said.

Luffy looked expectantly at Zoro and Zoro raised an eyebrow at him. The rubber man's eyes were so bright and his whole body shook with excitement that Zoro wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly sprouted a tail and started to wag it. "What the hell are you looking at me for, Luffy?"

"Oy! Zoro! You got any plans?"

"No," Zoro said honestly and instantly regretted his answer.

"Great!" Luffy exclaimed and shot out his hand to grab a street lamp about two blocks away while wrapping his other arm around Zoro. "Then let's go!"

"Wait. Wha-AHHHHHHHHHH!" Zoro screamed as Luffy sling shotted the two off into the distance.

 _Clap. Clap. Clap._

The remaining First Years looked back at Nana, who was slow clapping at them with a smirk on her lips. "That's our captain, ladies and gentlemen."

Then her smirk left her lips and she let out a little sigh. "What the hell did we get ourselves into?"


End file.
